Exhibition and a workshop on media literacy and fake news

On October 29, at 09:00 in the building of the Vilnius University Library Scientific Communication and Information Center (VU MKIC, Saulėtekio al. 5, Vilnius), the exhibition “Fake ≠ Fact Info Lab”, devoted to media literacy, will be opened – it will represent very recognizable situations from online life. The opening will be accompanied by a free educational training in which media expert from Denmark will talk about media literacy, combating disinformation and propaganda, and how to distinguish facts from fakes. The event will be held in English.

An interactive dialogue-based workshop will be hosted by journalist and media expert Leif Lønsmann (Nordic Journalist Center, Denmark, www.njc.dk).

The workshop keeps the following structure:

Session 1: Freedom of expression. Pros and cons for absolute freedom of speech in a democratic society.

Session 2: When information gets dangerous. Cases: Misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, conspiracy, fake news.

Session 3: Tools to navigate in the increasing amount of information. Fact Checking, Source Checking. Wrap-up: Media Literacy as a tool for democracy.

During the workshop guests will have a coffee break with snacks and the opportunity to chat with event participants and experts.

Registration is required: https://forms.gle/fsLygjRz8qAEkmgk8

The Fake ≠ Fact Info Lab exhibition, which is travelling across the Baltic states this fall, is based on the Museum of Work’s The Travelling Democracy Lab, which in turn originates from material by the Swedish Media Council.

The main goal of this educational project is to provide visitors with tools for assessing the credibility of media sources and resources for distinguishing facts from disinformation, so the exhibition presents very recognizable situations from everyday online life. But it is clear that just an exhibition is not enough to achieve this educational goal, so it was decided to organize a training session with recognized international expert.

Leif Lønsmann is a senior Consultant at the Nordic Journalism Center (Denmark) and media expert. Leif began his career as a radio journalist in 1978 for the Danish National Broadcasting Corporation (DR). He was appointed Director of Radio, responsible for all radio networks and worked there as a director until 2008. Leif organizes mid-career training and courses for journalists from all over the Nordic countries, based on shared cultural values and the Nordic media model.

The seminar and exhibition are free of charge; the training will take ~4 hours.

The event is organized by Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Baltic Centre for Media Excellence, the Nordic Journalist Center and the Human Rights Academy.

The event is supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers, Embassy of Sweden, the Swedish Institute, Vilnius University Library Scientific Communication and Information Center, Knowledge Economy Forum (Žinių ekonomikos forumas).

The event may only be attended in person if presenting a valid Covid-19 certificate that confirms the completion of a full vaccination course or recovery within the past six months, along with an ID card or passport.