Media and Information Literacy Repository – South Asia

This study explores tactics to control fake news using digital identity verification. This is a conceptual and analytical study, based on a system design approach. The study finds that the absence of proper Identity Verification allows Fake Accounts and Malicious Actors to spread misinformation easily all over social media. Also, the implementation of Secure Authentication Systems and Verified Digital Identities can improve Information Credibility. It concludes that strong identity-based frameworks are an essential factor to limit Disinformation Spread.

This exploratory study examines the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Philippine news media industry, highlighting both its benefits and challenges. Using qualitative methods such as interviews, desk reviews, and focus groups, the study finds that AI adoption in newsrooms began mainly in the early 2020s and is used to improve efficiency, speed of content production, and audience engagement. AI is generally viewed as a tool to support journalists rather than replace them, with human oversight remaining essential. However, concerns include AI inaccuracies, misinformation, copyright issues, job displacement, and reduced revenue due to AI-generated news summaries. The study recommends stronger AI governance, platform accountability, better media literacy, and collaboration among stakeholders to ensure ethical and sustainable use of AI in journalism.

The manipulation of information to suit one’s vested interests is a growing hazard. It has elements of disinformation, misinformation and fake news, and lacks authenticity. Such manipulation and distortion of facts can have serious consequences for a community, especially in a diverse nation like India. It calls for strict measures and awareness to check this spread. Technology further catalyses such dissemination. Institutions, libraries, governments and the media are all deliberating effective means to distinguish fake news from authentic news. This article details some such initiatives. It discusses the Government of India’s Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to curb such deceitful dissemination, elements of which can be replicable in other geographies. It spotlights the issue and underscores the need for media and information literacy for all to be more discerning during the reception, consumption and assimilation of information before responding to it. Further, the fact-checking initiatives and Information Technology Rules as taken and framed in India may be replicated in other countries.

The paper employs a systematic review of literature through ResearchGate, Google Scholar and Web of Science databases to examine the need for fact-checking skills among media professionals. The paper indicates that the significance of factchecking skills among media professionals cannot be overstated in our contemporary information landscape. It is believed that media and information professionals hold a critical responsibility to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information they disseminate. Fact-checking skills, encompassing rigorous verification, source scrutiny, and a commitment to transparency, stand as a bulwark against the tide of misinformation that pervades the digital era. Given this, the paper argues that misinformation has the potential to erode trust in institutions, sow discord, and influence public opinion. By actively engaging in fact-checking, media and information professionals become agents of truth, fortifying the foundations of a well-informed and resilient society. The paper concludes that the power to combat misinformation lies in the hands of those who shape narratives and tell the stories that define our world. The commitment to fact-checking is not merely a professional obligation but a moral imperative.

This chapter discusses the democratic threats associated with micro-targeted advertising from third parties, using the Facebook Ad Library (FAL) as a case study to assess whether this type of tool can effectively prevent these potential threats to Canadian electoral integrity. We will analyze third parties’ use of Facebook during the 2019 federal election to understand their online advertising strategies, as well as evaluate whether the FAL can help identify reprehensible behavior, such as violations of the Canadian Election Act. Thus, this chapter focuses on two main research questions: (Q1) How does the information stored in the FAL help its users better understand the content of third parties’ electoral messages? (Q2) How does the information stored in the FAL help its users better understand third parties’ micro-targeting tactical operations? We hypothesize that while the FAL can help its users understand the content of third party messages, it does a poor job of providing useful information on the parameters of their online distribution strategy, and therefore does not effectively prevent democratic threats related to micro-targeting techniques. In this chapter we first discuss the importance of third parties in Canadian elections, and the democratic threats associated with micro-targeted advertising. We then present the Facebook Advertising Library and the limitations of this type of tool identified in the literature. Next, we use the “Strong and Proud” network as a case study to examine whether the FAL effectively helped Canadians assess how third parties used the social network for micro-targeted advertising during the 2019 campaign. A discussion of the apparent limitations of the tool concludes the chapter.

The advent of digital media has profoundly transformed political campaigns and voter behavior, reshaping the landscape of political communication and electoral processes. Digital platforms, such as social media, websites, and online forums, have enabled political candidates to engage with voters more directly and efficiently than ever before. Through personalized messaging, targeted advertising, and real-time interaction, campaigns can now tailor their strategies to specific voter demographics, harnessing data analytics to influence opinions and mobilize supporters. Additionally, digital media offers voters unprecedented access to information, allowing them to evaluate candidates and issues from multiple perspectives. However, the same platforms also present challenges, such as the spread of misinformation, echo chambers, and polarization, which can distort public discourse and affect voter decision-making. This paper explores the dual-edged role of digital media in modern political campaigns and its impact on voter behavior, including the implications for democratic participation and the integrity of electoral processes.

Political advertising on social media has become a powerful tool in shaping voter perceptions, influencing electoral outcomes, and driving political engagement. However,the growing use of social media platforms for political advertising raises concerns about transparency, the targeting of vulnerable populations, and the potential for misinformation. This article investigates the trends in political advertising on social media, examining the use of micro-targeting, the role of data analytics, and the ethical implications of these practices. Drawing on case studies from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil, the article analyzes the effectiveness of social mediapolitical ads in influencing voters and discusses the challenges of ensuring transparency and accountability in the digital age. It also evaluates current regulatory frameworks and proposes solutions to improve transparency and protect democratic processes in the context of digital political advertising

This working paper examines the state of computational propaganda in Ukraine, focusing on two major dimensions, Ukraine’s response to the challenges of external information attacks and the use of computational propaganda in internal political communication. Based on interviews with Ukrainian media experts, academics, industry insiders and bot developers, the working paper explores the scale of the issue and identifies the most common tactics, instruments and approaches for the deployment of political bots online. The cases described illustrate the misconceptions about fake accounts, paid online commentators and automated scripts, as well as the threats of malicious online activities. First, we explain how bots operate in the internal political and media environment of the country and provide examples of typical campaigns. Second, we analyse the case of the MH17 tragedy as an illustrative example of Russia’s purposeful disinformation campaign against Ukraine, which has a distinctive social media component. Finally, responses to computational propaganda are scrutinized, including alleged governmental attacks on Ukrainian journalists, which reveal that civil society and grassroots movements have great potential to stand up to the perils of computational propaganda.

The information explosion has increased accessibility and relevance problems. Misinformation and disinformation accentuate problems for scholarly users in differentiating between genuine and fake information. The negative impact of this factor is worsened when there is also a lack of information literacy. This research aims to identify information literacy models that can minimize or, preferably, overcome this problem. A comprehensive literature review of 175 scholarly articles and other relevant online sources was under-taken. The literature exploration meticulously employed strategically chosen key terms, delving exclusively into a curated selection of preeminent and trustworthy sources for a comprehensive and impactful review. The review systematically deliberated on integrating misinformation and disinformation issues into the information literacy framework, probing the prospect of substantially alleviating the challenges. This study aimed to understand whether current information literacy models can appropriately identify mis-information and disinformation. The information gleaned indicated that existing information literacy models could not correctly identify misinformation and disinformation. Accordingly, there is a need to improve strategies and methods for identifying misinformation and disinformation. The study proposed an information literacy model to identify misinformation and dis-information, benefiting library professionals, patrons, academicians, IT professionals involved in library services, library and information service policymakers, and authors.

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is globally recognized as an essential set of skills necessary for navigating the complexities of the 21st century information ecosystem. The core issue addressed by this analysis is the heightened vulnerability of marginalized populations, specifically tribal artisans in India, to targeted misinformation. This research moves beyond viewing MIL as a mere technical skill set, instead framing it as a critical pedagogical approach capable of fostering systemic societal resilience and enabling agency. The research focuses on the intersection of cultural vulnerability and economic exploitation within the artisan community. The analysis confirms that tribal artisans in India face significant information vulnerability due to cultural norms, high exposure to financial and health risks, and low digital literacy, demonstrating that conventional MIL approaches are inadequate. The strong demand for training underscores the need for culturally responsive, context-specific pedagogies that position MIL as essential for economic security and cultural sovereignty.

The current media eco-system has become more and more polluted by the various avatars of “fake news”. This buzz term has been widely used by academics, experts, teachers and ordinary people, in an attempt to understand and address the phenomenon of information disorder in the new media environment. However, studies have rarely questioned what teachers, key stakeholders in the media literacy field, actually understand by “fake news”, and to what extent the new digital tools available to fact-check are actually viable solutions to fight disinformation actively. In this context, we conducted focus groups (N=34 people interviewed in 4 focus groups) with teachers in four countries (France, Romania, Spain and Sweden), in order to assess their understanding of “fake news”, as well as their perception of possible measures to combat the phenomenon, with a particular focus on digital tools. The findings show that the understanding of the concept of “fake news” differs from one country to the other, but also within the same country, with a common feature across countries: intention to deceive. Additionally, respondents identified lack of media and information literacy (MIL) in education as a major gap for combatting information disorders. Furthermore, they find that the use of digital tool for professional fact-checking needs to be repurposed or followed by pedagogical instructions to fit into the complexity of educational practices. Our findings highlight possible solutions for MIL in education using a combination of technocognition and transliteracy as theoretical framework and scaffolded pedagogical design for better adoption of fact-checking techniques.

The term ‘fake news’ has been overused to define news which is factually incorrect either without any ill intention or to deliberately deceive people. There could be various kinds of fake news in the media ecosystem. The scholars and media practitioners prefer to use ‘misinformation’ to denote fake news from a broader perspective. With the growth of social and digital media, the volume of misinformation has increased manifold. The fact-checking agencies, independent or attached to the mainstream publications, have been relentlessly trying to bust misinformation. However, the systematic, organized and technology-driven misinformation generators and distributors are defeating these efforts with the time, speed and bias of the news consumers. With 570 million internet users in India (FICCI 2019), mostly without a proper understanding of the new medium of text, images, video and audio mixed, the fight against misinformation is getting tougher. The wave of misinformation aided with the messages of propaganda, tilted with ideology and commercial interest, unverified assertions is confusing for the audience. Still, people are showing more faith in social media content, often generated by the users, than the mainstream media. This is an alarming situation. Hence, there is a need for digital media literacy at several levels, especially at the grassroots to combat the menace of misinformation. Digital news literacy essentially means consciously accessing, evaluating, understanding the underlying meaning of the message (Livingstone 2003) mediated through complex images, sound, words and deciphering the subtleties while consuming the digital content (Lanham 1995). This paper, through a heuristic method, tries to explore a three-pronged approach to carry out a digital news literacy campaign both among the news producer-publishers and the news consumers. This can help in forming a concrete plan of action, despite the challenges, to educate the digital, mobile-first news consumers in combating the spread of misinformation.

Widespread misleading stories circulating in networked public spheres have raised debates about their potential harm to democracies, organizations, and individuals. In the face of this challenge, educators have been rightly questioning how to prepare students to thrive in this so-called post-truth era. Scholarship on media and information literacies has often focused on incorporating new topics to address the issue and re-articulating learning goals. This body of work, however, does not address the question of how to deal with fast-paced changes that surround information disorder in the digital age. Based on Stuart Selber’s multiliteracies, this article proposes a set of competencies in combination with an analysis of the factors that contribute to the creation and circulation of false information. My argument focuses on students’ need to effectively identify misleading stories, thoughtfully question the role of technology in society, and ethically engage in civic dialogues. Taken together, these skills and knowledge provide a framework that they can expand upon as the landscape of information disorder shifts.

Introduction. Misinformation is a complex challenge that cuts across all fields and thus requires an interdisciplinary solution. As professionals who support information access and evaluation across fields and have long-championed information literacy, librarians could be well-situated to facilitate collaborative responses. So far, however, library science has remained fairly siloed in its approach, similar to other fields. Method. As a conceptual paper, this submission does not employ a detailed methodology but provides an overview of relevant literature.Analysis.This paper provides a high-level overview of research and thinking related to misinformation and information literacy across a wide range of fields.Results.The overview illustrates the complexity of the problem and the intersecting ideas and responses, with a focus on how these relate to librarianship and information literacy.Conclusion(s). The paper concludes with a proposed framework for an interdisciplinary approach to studying misinformation with an aim to developing information literacy competencies.

Due to the prevalence of misinformation in current media environments, there is an urgent need for effective media literacy interventions that broadly protect people from its negative effects. However, such interventions do not always have their desired impact, calling for a better understanding of the factors influencing their efficacy. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review on 80 experimental studies, following the PRISMA checklist. Interestingly, findings suggest that intervention effectiveness depended more on the outcome variables targeted than on specific intervention characteristics. Notably, most interventions successfully improved users’ ability to detect misinformation, likely because many were specifically designed with this goal in mind. However, their effects on persuasive outcomes (e.g., attitudes) were more inconsistent, suggesting that changing such outcomes may require different or additional strategies beyond misinformation detection training. Based on these findings we propose several suggestions for future research and recommendations for developing more effective media literacy interventions.

Although access is uneven, studies have shown a high uptake of digital technologies and platforms across Africa, with many accessing social media, which is a fertile ground for the spread of fake news and disinformation, calling for the need to factcheck information before consumption or sharing. The study was grounded in explore, engage, and empower (EEE) model of media and information literacy (MIL), which states that MIL competencies empower media and information users to identify, access, and retrieve information and media content skillfully (explore), analyze, and evaluate media and information critically (engage) and create, share, or use information and media ethically, safely, and responsibly (empower). The purpose was to assess fact-checking practices of students in two universities in Ghana and Nigeria to ascertain the extent to which they factcheck information, their levels of knowledge of fact checkers and the fact checkers that they use. The simple random sampling was used to draw a total of 316 respondents. It was found that although many respondents confirmed the authenticity of news and information received before acting on them, they mostly did so through social media and their networks. Few respondents knew about fact-checking platforms and could state names of actual factcheckers. The study makes a case for MIL, which includes fact checking, to enable media users to analyze and evaluate news and information critically to ensure the consequent ethical safe and responsible sharing and usage of information and media content, as EEE model proposes.

Disinformation represents a critical threat to our democratic societies, particularly considering the role of new technologies such as generative artificial intelligence in the creation and dissemination of content, as well as the challenges involved in its detection. Among the strategies to combat disinformation, debunking, along with media and digital literacy, are the preferred approaches for the EU. Methods This research examines the role of fact-checking organizations in promoting digital and media literacy. An analysis on the websites of a sample of 88 organizations with membership in the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) was conducted. The aim was to identify and classify their activities related to various literacies aimed at mitigating disinformation. Data collection was carried out across two distinct time periods. Results Findings revealed a moderate reach of these activities, with 48.6% implementation and a 60% increase since the last period analyzed (December 2022). The study concludes that: 1) there are differences in the level of adoption across different regions; 2) strategies are adapted to various target audiences, reflecting sociodemographic factors; and 3) fact-checkers serve as valuable and necessary links for the most groups outside formal education systems. Conclusion These activities are strongly reliant on externally funded projects and programs, rather than representing an independent and sustainable business model. Therefore, it is recommended to promote and expand these funding streams. The value of these initiatives lies in their potential to reach vulnerable groups who are excluded from formal education systems.

In the context of rising misinformation across digital platforms, Media and Information Literacy (MIL) has become an essential educational tool for fostering critical engagement among university students. This study investigates the role of MIL in combating misinformation within a Pakistani university context. Employing a qualitative case study design, the research involved 30 undergraduate students from a public university in Punjab who participated in a two-hour MIL intervention workshop based on UNESCO’s curriculum framework. Data were collected through three semi-structured focus group discussions and analyzed thematically using NVivo. Findings revealed four key themes: increased awareness of misinformation tactics, enhanced confidence in source verification, emotional barriers to critical engagement, and a strong student demand for formal MIL curriculum integration. While students demonstrated improved analytical and verification skills, many continued to struggle with confirmation bias and emotional resonance tied to cultural and religious content. The results underscore the importance of embedding MIL into higher education in culturally responsive ways and suggest the need for sustained interdisciplinary instruction. This study contributes to the limited body of empirical MIL research in South Asia and offers practical recommendations for curriculum developers, policymakers, and educators aiming to counter misinformation through structured pedagogical strategies. It also highlights the value of localized, depth-oriented case studies in developing context-sensitive media education frameworks.

This paper serves as a comprehensive report on the need for and barriers to news literacy education in the United States. Current misinformation issues in the U.S. are introduced and the importance of news literacy among citizens of a democracy. Answers to these questions are sought: What are the current challenges regarding news literacy in the digital age and what are the implications? Further, can news literacy be taught? Based on measured practices, what are the best methods for news literacy education? Existing literature covers the topics of information disorder and news literacy, highlighting the importance of news literacy in informing citizens. Several factors challenge widespread news literacy, such as the overwhelming amount of information users are met with each day and the echo chambers on social media they operate in. Several existing news literacy curricula are outlined and their effectiveness in teaching students how to sort fact from fiction in digital news sources using critical thinking activities are evaluated. After demonstrating the need for news literacy among U.S. readers in the digital era and discussing existing news literacy pedagogy, I hold news literacy initiatives are but one solution in the complex fight against misinformation, and their success in educating students to access veracity is difficult to measure.

The new media environment, through multitudinous entanglements with processes of digitization and commodification, has contributed to the formation of extreme distrust in media and institutions in advanced democracies, and fluctuations in trust relations worldwide, according to Pew Research and Gallup polling. Resulting from threats of fake news, the overabundance of information, and intentional misguidance by bad actors, individuals find it increasingly difficult to evaluate information and make informed decisions. Ideally, in democracies, institutions help foster trust between citizens and information sources by encouraging trustworthy institutions that are responsible to citizens, since trust is so fundamental to a functional democracy. This paper draws a link between trust, which is crucial to democracy, and media and information literacy (MIL), which empowers democratic principles, to suggest how the implicit reciprocity and negotiability of trust relations can be seized to advance democratization through a media and information literacy policy framework. Using the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Policy and Strategy Guideline as a reference, this paper builds an approach to show how, through the negotiability of trust, MIL and the democratizing principle of civic agency might be concurrently advanced and mutually reinforcing by educating a citizenry more literate about media and information systems and generating democratic institutional change concurrent with greater trust between actors.

This paper is a segment of a larger dissertation exploring the impact of digital media literacy (DML) skills on the accuracy of truth discernment. The purpose of this paper is to offer broader access to the findings and contribute to the discussions of disinformation, focusing on the significance of the accuracy of truth discernment in politics and law. As earlier studies have examined, the influx of disinformation in the digital age was a pressing global security threat, spreading rapidly through social media platforms. Disinformation, consisting of the deliberate spread of falsehoods, causing chaos and confusion eroded trust in media and government, driving citizens to believe falsehoods to be true, particularly in the absence of DML to discern the reliability of information. This study supports earlier research, revealing that simplifying access to credible information empowers individuals to retrieve trustworthy sources. The qualitative content analysis conducted in this study shows that DML skills shape truth-seeking behaviors, finding high correlations between DML skills and informed political participation. The findings of this research delineate the theoretical mechanisms of how DML skills empower individuals to engage in civil society by synthesizing themes described by scholars within the top 100 cited sample studies selected. Future researchers can assess the theoretical mechanisms outlined in this study to determine their effectiveness by implementing training programs to develop foundations for informed decision-making, political participation, and responsible sharing behavior.

The fight against rampant disinformation has triggered two major answers: fact-checking and news literacy. These affect the established fields of journalism and of Media and Information Literacy (MIL). They create opportunities for new entrants from the margins to enter professional fields in need of revamping. Using information and communication sciences research on policy and organizations and on the interplay between agency, platforms and networks, this analysis focuses on three main criteria for evaluating the field-configuring role of disinformation: policy rules and professional canons (to regain some lost political and economic ground), key events and projects (to provide sense-making strategies), and interactions with audiences and communities (to restore trust and reputation). Focusing on the European Union as main terrain of analysis due to its pioneering initiatives, this analysis first considers the mutual benefits afforded by the fight against disinformation. Then considers three main challenges: MIL risks being reduced to news literacy, digital journalism risks being reduced to fact-checking, and the disinformation discourse risks downscaling the emphasis on information. It concludes with the implications for the future for all actors to effect real field change in MIL and journalism.

This paper provides research findings to support the case for media literacy as an aid to journalists and journalism educators in a disruptive age through the fostering of resilient media engagement by young citizens. It posits that encouraging media literacy in news consuming publics facilitates a more critically engaged civic society. Focused on trust, it shares the outcomes of a project funded by the US Embassy in London, which brought together leading researchers from the United States and UK with a range of key stakeholders, including journalists. Their collective aim: to devise a practical strategy for harnessing media literacy to develop young people’s understanding of and ability to withstand ‘fake news’.

Although at present there is broad agreement among researchers, health professionals, and policy makers on the need to control and combat health misinformation, the magnitude of this problem is still unknown. Consequently, it is fundamental to discover both the most prevalent health topics and the social media platforms from which these topics are initially framed and subsequently disseminated. This systematic review aimed to identify the main health misinformation topics and their prevalence on different social media platforms, focusing on methodological quality and the diverse solutions that are being implemented to address this public health concern.

In this essay, the authors offer a context for discussions about fake news, democracy, and considerations for media literacy education. Drawing on media ecology and critical media studies, they highlight the longer history of fake news and how this concept cannot be separated from the media technologies in which cultures grow. They discuss current iterations of this phenomenon alongside the effects of social media and offer a preview of the contents of this special issue on media literacy, democracy, and the challenge of fake news.