Find links to a curated list of Irish and international resources relating to best-practices in countering disinformation and media literacy.
For resources created by EDMO Ireland, see the Outputs tab.
Understanding disinformation
Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review: This is a new format for a peer-reviewed, research journal. Content is produced and “fast-reviewed” by misinformation scientists and scholars, released under open access licensing, and geared towards emphasizing real-world implications. All content is targeted towards a specialized audience of researchers, journalists, fact checkers, educators, policy makers, and other practitioners working in the information, media, and platform landscape.
Disinformation and Manipulation in Digital Media: Drawing on research from multiple disciplines and international case studies, this book by Eileen Culloty and Jane Suiter provides a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of online disinformation and its potential countermeasures. Disinformation is analysed across four cross-cutting dimensions: bad actors, platforms, audiences, and countermeasures.
Balancing Act: Countering Digital Disinformation while respecting Freedom of Expression: Commissioned by UNESCO and ITU this wide-ranging study is edited by Kalina Bontcheva and Julie Posetti. Targeted analyses and recommendations address the life cycle of online disinformation: from production to transmission, reception and reproduction with a suite of sector-specific actionable recommendations and a 23-point framework to test disinformation responses.
Web of Lies: This book by Aoife Gallagher examines the rising threat of far-right extremist thought in Ireland and internationally and looks at how these movements utilise the online world to spread disinformation, polarising society in the process
Developing skills
Debunking Handbook 2020: The Debunking Handbook 2020 summarises the current state of the science of misinformation and its debunking, and it represents the current consensus on the science of debunking for engaged citizens, policymakers, journalists, and other practitioners.
Inoculation Science: This website from the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab provides games, videos and research explaining inoculation theory and how it help build resistance against manipulation.
EU vs Disinfo Learn Platform: With a strong focus on Russian disinformation, this resource provides a selection of articles, useful tools, games, podcasts and other resources to build or strengthen your resilience to disinformation.
Media literacy youtube series: The Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Library Service commissioned a media literacy project to accompany an online exhibition on disinformation. EDMO Ireland’s media literacy educator Ricardo Castellini da Silva created a series of videos discussing the most important topics related to disinformation.
How to avoid false information about Covid-19: Developed by Eileen Culloty for Age Action during Covid-19, this guide provides accessible advice for older people navigating online information.
The Journal Misinformation section: As well as fact-checking, The Journal has a range of articles and explainers relating to misinformation. Some highlights from the Good Information Project include a live-streamed event, podcast, and an OSINT practice quiz.
Fact-checking youtube series: This series of videos from AFP teaches techniques, such as reverse image search or advanced twitter search, for citizens who want to develop their own fact-checking capabilities.
Bad News Game: This game is designed for those aged 14+ and aims to improve people’s ability to spot manipulation techniques in social media posts and reduce their willingness to share manipulative content with people in their network.
Teaching media literacy
Webwise Teaching Resources: This excellent selection of teaching materials designed for Irish schools includes the HTML Heroes programme for primary schools and the Connected media literacy programme for teens.
Think Smart: This 15 minute video from Barnardos Online Safety Programme is designed for 8-12 year olds to ‘think smart’ about the information they read and the people they meet on the internet. Includes a worksheet and powerpoint for teachers.
The Glass Room: Misinformation Edition Exhibition: Produced by Ricardo Castellini da Silva, this 50 minute long video provides a walkthrough of an online exhibition about disinformation and it was designed to be used by secondary school teachers in the classroom.
Disinformation in a time of conflict: This Council of Europe lesson plan aims to help students understand how disinformation is used in modern warfare through a comparison with the way truth gets manipulated in personal conflicts at school.
Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy – Published by the European Commission, these guidelines provide hands-on guidance for teachers and educators, including practical tips and activity plans. They are designed for primary and secondary teachers with or without specialist knowledge of digital education.
Media and information literate citizens: think critically, click wisely! This pioneering UNESCO curriculum presents a comprehensive competency framework of media and information literacy and offers educators and learners structured pedagogical suggestions.
Media literacy campaigns
Be Media Smart: Developed by Media Literacy Ireland, Be Media Smart offers useful tips and guidance on how to tell the difference between reliable and accurate information and or deliberately false or misleading information.
Truth Matters Campaign – RTÉ’s campaign includes a four part podcast series about misinformation as well as a collection of articles which address disinformation and the importance of trustworthy journalism.