Seniors learn how not to fall for disinformation
Don't be fooled, know how to distinguish true information from fake news, and most importantly, figure it all out for yourself. This is what the seniors at the Elpida Centre in Prague are taught in the series Life in the Information Age 2.0.
"We started our first seminar on media, Let's not feed them ducks, in April 2016. We noticed that seniors sometimes lack basic caution and the ability to distinguish trustworthy information from misleading or false information. We encouraged seniors to think critically when reading news, watching videos and commercials," says Jan Bartoš, head of the Elpida Cultural and Educational Centre.
The non-violent and entertaining form proved to be the most successful. The current offer includes countless lectures, seminars, excursions, verification workshops and talks that have one thing in common - learning not to jump on the bandwagon, to keep all five together and not to lose common sense.
"To think critically, seniors need to know how a report is produced. The new series will help them face the onslaught of advertising, navigate the internet safely or debate with guests about values such as freedom of speech or state propaganda," Bartos said.
Editors Jindřich Šídlo and Světlana Witowská are contributing to the programme, and the editorial staff is also collaborating. After the excursion to CTK, the seniors will go behind the scenes of Deník N or the weekly Respekt, where experienced editors will work with them.
Seniors can also try their hand at uncovering false news remotely in an online verification workshop. "The label that Czech seniors are typical fake news spreaders is unfair and the research doesn't even match it," says Jaroslav Valůch, lecturer of verification workshops and head of the information verification and media education programme at Transitions. He mentions this in the first episode of the OLD'S COOL podcast, which dealt with fake news. In the second part of the podcast, host Adéla Lichková talks about fake news directly with seniors.
Elpida joined forces and professional expertise with Transitions, strengthening the independence and professionalism of investigative journalism. The result is transferable training modules for local organisations (libraries, clubs or newsrooms) in the field of mediaand digital and civic education for seniors and older adults. Thanks to the new methodology and the trained trainers, the project is strengthening the confidence of seniors in the quality of journalism, in their own abilities to navigate information chaos and their resistance to manipulative and disinformation.
Below you will find a selection from this year's Life in the Information Age 2.0 series:
19 Oct. Fundamentals of journalism and social networking
16 October Excursion to the weekly Respekt
23 Nov. Excursion to the Daily N
Media education for seniors and older adults in the regions through local organizations and institutions is supported by Active Citizens Fund programs.
Media contact
Iveta Čížová ~ PR ~ iveta.cizova@elpida.cz ~ +420 773 480 505
Jan Bratoš ~ Head of the Elpida Cultural and Educational Centre ~ jan.bartos@elpida.cz ~ +420 777 037 112
Elpida means hope in Greek. But it is also the name of an organization that helps seniors become a confident and respected part of society. In the spirit of the motto Old's Cool, Elpida is changing the way people look at old age - it runs the Elpida Educational and Cultural Centre for seniors fromPrague and the Senior Crisis Line, founded the brand Socks from Grandma, publishes the magazine VITAL, and organises the intergenerational Old's Cool festival. In short, she is trying to make Czech seniors lead a full & happy life.