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.
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).
