A Pan India Student Media Literacy Initiative

 

India’s largest news and information literacy programme, FactShala, is delighted to announce the establishment of FactShala Zonal Hubs. It is a Pan India initiative aimed at empowering students and fostering critical thinking skills and institutionalising the media literacy initiative in different regions/zones of India. FactShala Zonal Hubs are an extension to FactShala’s commitments to empowering individuals and communities in building resilience against misinformation.

Six universities/institutes from five zones will lead this programme in their own regions.

 

By establishing student-led media literacy and Fact Checking network, FactShala Zonal Hubs will provide a platform for educational institutions to lead media literacy initiatives within their respective regions, fostering a culture of critical thinking and information literacy. Through these collaborations, FactShala Zonal Hubs will work towards institutionalizing media literacy initiatives and enhancing the capacities of participating institutions in the media literacy landscape. The programme aims to harness India’s demographic dividend by channeling the energy of university students to prepare different regions of the country for a robust information ecosystem.

Keep watching this space to know more details about this programme. Click Here

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Univ / Institutes
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Zones

Building a Pan-India
Media and Information
Literacy Network

FactShala is a news and information literacy programme run by DataLEADS with support from the Google News Initiative. The programme helps people from small cities and villages across India to critically assess online information and sift facts from misinformation. Launched in 2020 by Internews with support from Google.org, FactShala India Media Literacy Network’s trainers – a passionate team of journalists, media educators, fact-checkers, non-profit workers and community radio stations are on a mission to empower communities around them with ethical approaches to information literacy and critical thinking skills.

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A visual journey into India’s largest Media Literacy Network 2020 – 2022

When we started our journey of FactShala, we began to understand the spectrum of misinformation and how it travelled through. With the train-the-trainer model, FactShala’s core team of 253 trainers – journalists, fact-checkers, academics and NGO workers and local community body leaders – from states across India conducted training in villages and cities across India to help people access and critically evaluate content online. We also engaged more than 60 community radio stations across the country to air audio training programmes via their medium and spread awareness about the dangers of misinformation and the need for staying critically alert. Today we are a community of trainers who have trained thousands of people across India, benefiting millions of people.

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FactShala’s  trainers will work with us over the course
of the next year and help adults in non-metro cities and villages of India
learn how to sift facts from the sea of online misinformation.

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Trainers
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States
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Cities

Delivering locally-tailored
media literacy training
in your hometowns

With train-the-trainer model, FactShala’s core team of 253 trainers – journalists, fact-checkers, academics and NGO workers and local community body leaders – from states across India will offer trainings in villages and cities across India to help people access and critically evaluate content online.

The map shows the tier II cities of India with state boundaries

Our Curriculum

The curriculum is built in consultation with media literacy educators, academics, radio community professionals, news industry experts and fact-checkers. The key components of curriculum are:
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Pan-India FactShala Trainings

FactShala India Media Literacy Network’s trainers – a passionate team of journalists, media educators, fact-checkers, non-profit workers and community radio stations who have come together to fight the misinformation menace – are on a mission to empower communities around them with media and information literacy approaches and critical thinking skills to help them to tackle information overload. Here are glimpses of some of the trainings:

Why is
Media Literacy
important?

KANCHAN KAUR
Dean, Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media

In times of such crises, it’s all the more important that everyone learns to separate the truth from the deluge of all kinds of information. These webinars, in simple ways, help people do just that.”

PANKAJ PACHOURI
Founder –Go News & Former Communication Adviser to the PM

In these times of crisis and confusion we need more facts, more clarity and more credibility. I note with admiration that Factshala is doing this public service with commitment and creativity.

PROF. M.M ANSARI
Former Central Information Commissioner & UGC Member

For success and survival in the knowledge society, information literacy through multi-media approaches is critical for taking informed decisions to realise the aspirations of the people.

NISHA BHAMBHANI
Supreme Court Lawyer

Media Literacy is important in India because it will help viewers discern the veracity and reliability of the news and information that they consume from print, electronic, digital and social media which will in turn assist them in forming their independent opinions. Independent thinkers will help in nourishing the growth of a sustainable and stable democracy in India which will truly support Free Speech, Equality and Justice for all its people, irrespective of language, religion or community.

DR. SHILPI JHA
Associate Professor, Bennett University, New Delhi

At the outset it seemed like a very daunting task to reach out to varied interests and age groups and make them accept and challenge their own biases. However, it was a pleasant surprise to know how willing and open everyone is to break the shackles of misinformation around them and to stimulate their critical thinking abilities. Being a Factshala trainer comes with a great sense of responsibility as well as immense gratification of bringing in positive change in the society suffering from varied versions of truth

SUDHIR GORE
Editor, Media Research, Bhopal

I was really astonished when more than 500 rural girls registered for a workshop in last December. I could accommodate this huge number in three sessions, and finally, their responses were so heartening. The girls enthusiastically participated, understood the Jargon of misinformation and disinformation, liked the reallife examples of text, video and photo verification, enjoyed the interactive sessions, and found the training content very useful in their daily life.

JOYDEEP DAS GUPTA
Editor-in-Chief, News Sense, West Bengal

As a FactShala trainer, I feel I am more responsible and accountable to make people aware about the importance of right versus wrong. This program has added new meaning to my life as well as profession as a journalist and fake checker. I believe it is important to reach out to the most vulnerable section of our society as they become the victim of fake news easily..

JASPREET MEHTA
Life Coach & Mentor, New Delhi

FactShala gave me something to take home to think about besides just a Media Literacy Training. It gave me a mind-set to think how crucial it is to empower myself and others about this phenomena. Now I am using this power to do my bit for society. So proud of this chapter of mine in life. Thank you FactShala!

ARPANA CHANDAIL
Founder, Saahas Doda, J&K

FactShala has empowered the trainers and hence empowering the citizens at grassroot level. Information is power and FactShala is helping people to know how to use it. This is very crucial work. People are getting information online directly or indirectly. But they don’t know how to differentiate between the right information and misinformation/disinformation.

VARADARAJAN ANANTHAKRISHNAN
Director- Training and Research - dataLEADS

With an information deluge from all sides, we are a likely easy prey to harmful misinformation. Media Literacy is the best intervention that is needed to help communities navigate through the sea of inaccurate information and distinguish between legit news and false information designed to deceive.

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