German broadcaster ZDF has launched the “ZDF goes Schule” initiative, partnering with Lie Detectors to enhance media literacy and political education in schools, joining other European newsrooms in expanding journalists’ roles to include education.
As more elections approach in the EU this year, the spread of disinformation on social networks is a bigger issue than ever. Listen to Juliane’s interview here.
A diverse mix of conspiracy theorists, anti-vaccine advocates and neo-Nazis partipcated in Berlin’s COVID-19 protests, all with a common distrust of mainstream information. Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck offered insights on the importance of improving media literacy amoung young people to counter the corrosive issue of disinformation.
Lie Detectors Founder and CEO Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck accepted the award from European Schoolnet Executive Director Marc Durando and European Digital Economy and Society Commissioner Mariya Gabriel
Awards : Digital Skills EU | 26th November 2018
Lie Detectors shortlisted for Digital Skills Awards 2018
Lie Detectors made it to the top 5 shortlisted projects in the Digital skills in education category of the European Digital Skills awards 2018 The European Commission launched the Awards to put the spotlight on projects which contribute to the development of digital skills in Europe. The finalists are invited to exhibit their project at the ICT 2018 conference in Vienna on 6 December 2018 in the presence of Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel.
Social media and the disinformation that circulates there is reaching ever younger children in Europe.
A growing number of projects are launching to boost media literacy. Lie Detectors is one of these projects, dialling in professional journalists to help children check their facts. (Article in German)
Foto: Pixabay (CC0)
Report: Stop Fake News initiative | 17th July 2018
The Belgian report of the expert group on fake news and disinformation is out and highlights Lie Detectors as best practice. Great timing as Lie Detectors celebrates the first anniversary of its incorporation as a Belgian ASBL!
Video: Forum für Journalismuskritik | 22nd June 2018
Lies, grey areas and education: Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck presents the Lie Detectors project to “Kultur am Mittag” on the occasion of the 4th Cologne Forum for Journalism Criticism.
The Europeans, the new political AFP podcast, interviewed Lie Detectors founder Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck about how to tackle fake news in classrooms, and about the efforts in this field by the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Fake News, of which Lie Detectors is a member. The Lie Detectors segment runs from 10:10 to 19:20.
Video: Leipzig Festival of Light | 1st December 2017
Excellent clip of this year’s Leipzig Festival of Light, commemorating the city’s role as a centre of dissidence under Communism. Lie Detectors founder Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck was lucky to be invited to speak before an audience of 15,000 about journalists’ role in rebuilding trust in facts. Some soundbites from 01:55.
EBU, EFJ, and Lie Detectors train local journalists for back-to-school initiative | 25th February 2025
VOICES Festival joins forces with Croatian journalists to boost media literacy:
Festival partners EBU, EFJ, and Lie Detectors train local journalists for back-to-school initiative
Zagreb/Brussels, 25 February – Croatian journalists will prepare ahead of the start of the VOICES Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy to train school children in how to resist online disinformation.
In a one-day workshop organised by the VOICES partners European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and delivered by the award-winning media literacy organisation Lie Detectors on 27 February, Croatian journalists working with public and commercial media will learn how to teach children aged 10-15 basic fact-checking methods in an interactive format. The journalists will then be ready to deliver free 90-minute training sessions in local schools.
“In times of unprecedented disinformation campaigns in particular via social networks, it is crucial to explain the complex and hard work of journalists and their public interest role to school kids. In order to trust journalists, to avoid news avoidance, we need to be transparent and reach out to young people. There are great new formats geared at journalistic fact checking, with some best practice from public service media,” said EFJ Director Renate Schroeder. “At this year’s Voices Festival in Zagreb, it is essential to turn more media professionals into media literacy professionals. We welcome the great cooperation with Lie Detectors in bringing the journalists’ role and work closer to the young generation in Croatia.”
The EBU, as the world’s leading alliance of public service media and here represented by the Brussels-based AISBL (international non-profit association) EBU-UER, has also long been a strong advocate for more media literacy among broad sections of the population: “Public service media in particular are committed to the common good and contribute to initiatives for a responsible approach to news and media,” says Wouter Gekiere, Head of the EBU’s Brussels office and Managing Director of AISBL EBU-UER. “Our Croatian member HRT plays an active role in support of new media literacy programmes, and we are proud of our joint cooperation with Lie Detectors.”
The event takes place just before the launch of the three-day VOICES Festival, held in Zagreb from 27 February to 1 March by an international consortium of media and nonprofit organisations. The workshop is hosted by Croatian public broadcaster Hrvatska Radiotelevizija (HRT).
Lie Detectors’ award-winning methodology will enable the newly trained journalists to teach 10 to 15-year-olds to recognise disinformation on the internet and question their information habits. The organisation has already trained more than 100,000 children and young people in Europe on this issue to counter the corrosive effect of disinformation on our societies. On the occasion of the VOICES festival, Lie Detectors is extending its commitment to train journalists in Croatia.
“Across Europe, we are witnessing the divisive effect of deliberate disinformation and polarisation in public discourse,” says Lie Detectors Executive Director Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck. “Journalists are ideal ambassadors for quality news standards and help to develop critical thinking.”
After the short training programme as media literacy trainers, the participating journalists will be able to train 10 to 15-year-olds in the critical handling of possible fake news at the invitation of their schools. Lie Detectors will provide the relevant training materials. Already shortly after its start in 2017, the organisation has won the European Commission’s EU Digital skills award for its work in education (in 2018). The AISBL EBU-UER, EFJ, and Lie Detectors are working together in the VOICES project consortium, which is co-funded by the European Union.
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If you are interested in a school visit or teacher training by Lie Detectors:
Teachers are welcome to contact Lie Detectors about classroom visits or teacher training. Write to: info@lie-detectors.org
Notes to editors:
For press inquiries or interview requests, contact: Christian Spahr, Managing Director, Lie Detectors, christian@lie-detectors.org
Lie Detectors is an independent and award-winning organisation headquartered in Brussels that works internationally to further media literacy. The organisation has trained more than 500 journalists from public and private print, broadcast and online media. In its drive against disinformation, Lie Detectors advocates for sustainable policies and measures in the fields of education and digital rights, both internationally and nationally. More information at www.lie-detectors.org.
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) (https://europeanjournalists.org) is Europe’s largest organisation of journalists, representing over 296,000 journalists in 74 journalists’ organisations across 44 countries. It was created in 1994 to fight for social and professional rights of journalists in all sectors of the media. The EFJ promotes and defends the rights to freedom of expression and information as guaranteed by the European convention on human rights. It has its headquarters in Brussels.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) (https://www.ebu.ch/home) is the world’s leading alliance of public service media (PSM) with 113 members in 56 countries and additional 31 associates in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas. EBU members operate 2,000 TV, radio and online channels and services, and offer a wealth of content across other platforms. Together they reach an audience of more than one billion people in 153 languages. The EBU operates Eurovision and Euroradio services. It is represented in this instance by Brussels-based AISBL EBU-UER.
Lie Detectors welcomes a new Managing Director | 2nd October 2024
Lie Detectors is delighted to announce that Christian Spahr has joined as their new Managing Director. Through this appointment, Lie Detectors is increasing its operational and leadership capacity with a new colleague who boasts exceptional experience in managing international organisations and diverse teams.
“We look forward enormously to working with Christian and to tapping his considerable talents in management, planning and strategising,” said Lie Detectors Founder and CEO Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck. “Christian joins us at a key juncture as Europe addresses rapidly developing educational needs in the context of digital citizenship and democratic resilience. We are confident that his highly-relevant expertise will contribute tremendously to the fulfilment of Lie Detectors mission at this critical time.”
Christian brings to his role experience as Secretary General of the Assembly of European Regions, a pan-European platform of 130 regional governments; as well as previous experience as a print and broadcast journalist; as former head of a media development cooperation programme; and as a spokesperson for the EU Commission.
“We need to strengthen democratic, open societies. Genuine dialogue is only possible through trust. Young people in particular must be able to recognise disinformation. I am very much looking forward to working with Juliane to further develop her highly successful concept of media education by journalists,” he said.
Independent media literacy organisation Lie Detectors is currently implementing a strategic plan with core organisational funding by the Wyss Foundation. As part of this, it is rolling out teacher-training seminars in multiple languages, working in multiplier partnerships and extending its offering across the EU.
Voices is heading to Zagreb | 16th July 2024The European Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy will be in Zagreb in 2025.The celebration of media literacy, ethical journalism and media pluralism will be in the beautiful Muzej suvremene umjetnosti on February 28 and March 1, 2025.
Pre-register here now to take part in meetings, discussions, workshops, screenings and award ceremonies around the topic of journalism, democracy and education at the Festival.
Lie Detectors will host several training workshops, with registration details to come.
For those developing innovative journalism and media literacy formats, there are ten Voices Awards worth €1,000 each available to apply for. Start your application here.
Voices is co-funded by the EU and brings together Lie Detectors, the European Broadcasting Union, the European Federation of Journalists, the European University Institute, Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, Savoir Devenir, EAVI – Media Literacy for Citizenship and Association Journalisme et Citoyenneté.
First of its kind: Voices, the European Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy comes to Florence in 2024 | 19th December 2023
Florence, 14December 2023
Today marks the kick off of the countdown for Voices, the European Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy. The event will take place at the Leopolda Station in Florence on 15-16 March 2024 and is a joint initiative of seven European organisations, led by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) at the European University Institute.
“As we live in a world where information is in abundance, but accurate news is not always easy to find, journalism and media literacy become key tools to ensure informed citizenship and democracy. This inaugural edition aims at bringing citizens, journalists and media professionals closer together, encouraging dialogue, and celebrating the pivotal role an informed public plays in societies. Most of all, we hope to foster critical thinking around disinformation.” said Pier Luigi Parcu, Member of the Advisory Board of Voices and CMPF Director.
From tackling journalism’s evolution in a rapidly shifting digital landscape to equipping citizens with the tools to navigate these changes, Voices will steer the conversation toward a more informed future. This will be achieved through curated sessions, interactive workshops, exhibitions, and networking opportunities.
Over two days, the festival will explore the themes that shape our relationship with information and media today. These include artificial intelligence and journalism, disinformation, safety of journalists, the challenges within media economic models, media literacy, elections’ integrity, EU media policies, digital parenting, and digital well-being, among others.
Pre-registration is now open. Sign up here to guarantee a spot for the festival’s main sessions. To be among the first to receive updates when registrations for workshops, training sessions, and interactive activities open, subscribe to the Voices newsletter.
Furthermore, Voices is awarding ten grants of 1000 euros each to outstanding young journalists and teachers to participate in the first edition of the festival. More information about the selection criteria will soon be available.
After Florence, this EU-funded initiative will embark on a journey across different European cities to spotlight media freedom and media literacy as essential elements for the functioning of our democratic societies. The second edition of the festival will take place in Zagreb, Croatia, in February 2025.
LinkedIn: Voices – European Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy
Bluesky: @VoicesFest.bsky.social
Instagram: @Voices_Fest
Organisers: Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (lead partner based at the European University Institute), the European Federation of Journalists, the AISBL EBU-UER, the European Association for Viewers Interests, Journalisme et Citoyenneté, Lie Detectors and Savoir*Devenir.
European Commission, Brussels, Belgium | 12th March 2018
Lie Detectors’ team gave a lightning talk during the ALL DIGITAL Summit 2018 on how to break silos, build bridges and to boost trust in ethical journalism. The summit explored the significant role of digital skills to improve media literacy, addressing societal issues in a smart and inclusive way.
Global MIL Week Feature Conference, Kaunas, Lithuania | 15th October 2018
Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck spoke at the Feature Conference of Global MIL Week 2018 in Kaunas, Lithuania, making the point that if it cannot be for governments to decide what is true and what is false, and if self regulation and fact-checking is not enough, this means we also need media literacy.
Fact-checking in the EP, Brussels, Belgium | 28th September 2018
Lie Detectors participated in the panel “Spread of (dis)information – views from the academia and from the ground” during the event Fact-checking in the EP organised by the European Parliament this month, talking about media literacy’s critical role in the discussion on factchecking and about journalists’ role in bringing media literacy to life.
ARD-Aktuell and Lie Detectors meet Teachers in Rostock, Germany | 27th September 2018
ARD-Aktuell, Lie Detectors present joint project in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
ARD-Aktuell and Lie Detectors presented their collaboration to teachers from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Plenty of questions raised on news literacy for youngsters and an exciting new phase for us.
College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium | 11th July 2018
Lie Detectors participated in a panel debate aimed at presenting the key initiatives and arguments in relation to fake news and online disinformation and to reflect on the way forward that was part of the College of Europe’s Executive Education summer courses.
Deutschlandfunk, Cologne, Germany | 22nd June 2018
Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck was present during the “Kölner Forum für Journalismuskritik”, a forum taking a self-critical look at journalists’ own actions, to explain how Lie Detectors can help when parents and teachers do not always have the opportunity or the necessary knowledge to talk to the children about the media.
European Commission, Brussels, Belgium | 15th June 2018
Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck and former European Journalism Centre director Wilfried Ruetten made the case for journalists’ role in spreading media literacy to the next generation at a workshop of the annual Reporter-Forum in Hamburg.
Lie Detectors was invited by moderator Friederike Kärcher to present its work during the session “Four heroes against fake news: Standing up for the truth and against disinformation – creatively and sometimes unconventionally – across different cultures, societies and audiences.”
European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium | 7th June 2018
Lie Detectors responded to the invitation of the European Parliament to participate in this debate aimed to reflect on the new role of education in developing resilience and critical thinking among children as the best way to enable healthy, well- informed and reliable societies.
LIE DETECTORS’ founder and director Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck discussed the options and pitfalls of improving news literacy in Europe during a one-hour session on Saturday, 14 April.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paris, France | 4th April 2018
At a closed-door session and conference hosted by France’s Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Lie Detectors CEO Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck presented take-aways from advisory report by the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Fake News, of which Lie Detectors is a member. Fellow panelists included Harlem Désir (OSCE representative for press freedom), Damian Collins (British MP, Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee), and Bruno Studer (Chair of the National Assembly Committee for Cultural and Education affairs).
European Commission, Brussels, Belgium | 13th November 2017
LIE DETECTORS was excited to present its concept at the Media Meets Literacy conference, which was opened by luminaries Evgeny Morozov and Megan Boler and included dozens of participants from around the world working in dynamic, creative ways to address the challenges of a changing media world.
At a closed-door session and conference hosted by France’s Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Lie Detectors CEO Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck presented take-aways from advisory report by the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Fake News, of which Lie Detectors is a member. Fellow panelists included Harlem Désir (OSCE representative for press freedom), Damian Collins (British MP, Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee), and Bruno Studer (Chair of the National Assembly Committee for Cultural and Education affairs).
