Background
False claims on the internet are a serious threat to democracy. Conspiracy myths about the corona virus, for example, and disinformation campaigns as the one in the Ukraine conflict, for example, make it difficult for citizens to access factual information and distort the process of forming free opinions based on facts. The circulation of false reports are also a problem for the media where journalists are hindered in their independent reporting and citizens’ trust is therefore shaken.
To counteract this, the dpa’s fact-checking editorial team launched the Faktencheck21 project in 2021, which is co-funded by the Google News Initiative. Within this framework, dpa offers workshops on verification techniques for journalists from all over Germany to train them in dealing with false claims. The spread of false claims on the internet was a particular challenge for the German media landscape in the course of the 2021 federal election.
To ensure a lasting learning effect, one of the project’s goals was to expand the training opportunities with a digital offering. In this way, more journalists were given the opportunity to train in the area of fact checking. As a full-service agency, we at Factorial supported the project throughout the duration of the process and were responsible for implementing a digital solution.