World democracies have a problem. It’s a problem that exacerbates all the difficulties plaguing our civil coexistence, and at times, it even triggers them. We all know this problem, and it goes by the name: fake news.
How do fake news originate? Where and by whom are they conceived, for what purposes, and how do they go viral? Fact-checking, debunking, prebunking, media literacy, labeling, nudging, demonetization – we know what tools are available to counter them. And we’ll explore what Europe and Italy are doing, as well as what our schools have done and could do to help our young people avoid falling into the disinformation trap.
In a four-part “special” journey, Digital World, the Rai Cultura program that has been investigating digital issues in all their aspects for several years, delves into the heart of fake news, reveals their mechanisms, and gives voice to those who fight against them on a daily basis. Journalists, communication experts, university professors, representatives of the EU, and the education sector tell us about their daily battle against fake news.
Interviewees include:
– Gianni Riotta, Director of Luiss Data Lab – IDMO
– Gianluca Di Feo, Deputy Director of La Repubblica – IDMO
– Francesco Giorgino, Director of the Research Office at Rai – IDMO
– Giuseppe Abbamonte, Director of Media Policy at the European Commission
– Nunzia Ciardi, Deputy Director-General of the National Cybersecurity Agency
– Gianna Barbieri, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Structural Funds for Education, School Building, and Digital Schools at the Ministry of Education and Merit
– Laura Brandimarte, Professor of Management Information Systems at the University of Arizona
– Filippo Menczer, Director of the Observatory on Social Media at Indiana University
– Alessandra Carenzio, Researcher at the CREMIT Research Center at the Catholic University
– Piermarco Aroldi, Coordinator of the Media Education Degree Program at the Catholic University
– Guido Caldarelli, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Ca’ Foscari University
– Giacomo Mazzone, Member of the Advisory Board of the European Digital Media Observatory
– Salvatore Custureri, Project Manager at the Italian Digital Media Observatory
– Alessandra Paradisi, Deputy Director of the Research Office at Rai – IDMO
– Virginia Padovese, Managing Editor for Europe at NewsGuard- IDMO
– Giovanni Zagni, Director of Pagella Politica- IDMO
– Katiuscha Gabriele, Head of Attraction, Belonging, People Talent & Development at TIM – IDMO
– Mariano Tredicini, Head of Social Platforms & Analysis at TIM – IDMO
– Andrea Nicolai, President of T6 Ecosystem – IDMO
– Anna Toniolo, Fact Checker at Facta
– Silvia Stellacci and Enzo Panizio, Journalists at Zeta Luiss.
The episodes are as follows:
1. How Fake News Originate and Spread
2. How to Combat Fake News
3. School vs. Fake News: Media Literacy
4. Europe and Italy vs. Fake News: Best Practices
The program is part of the IDMO project, of which Rai is a partner.
“Digital World vs. Fake News” consists of 4 episodes, each lasting 30 minutes,
and will be broadcast on:
– Rai Scuola every Saturday from June 3rd to June 24th at 3:00 PM
– Rebroadcast on Rai Due on June 14th, 15th, 21st, and 28th at 11:30 PM (with subtitles for the hearing impaired)
– Available online on Rai Play (www.raiplay.it/programmi/digitalworldvsfakenews), featuring both the full version and individual segments from each episode.
