This conceptual paper highlights limitations within existing approaches to mis and disinformation and offers a cross disciplinary approach that draws from social shaping of technology and critical informatics to explain and understand these complex informational phenomena. Different scholarly perspectives from policy, technical, and information literacy spheres, often narrowly focus on information practices of actors or components of the technical systems and policy frameworks undergirding these systems often their “locus of change”, or concept of the problem and solutions, do not acknowledge the interconnected complexities inherent to mis and disinformation. Our proposed conceptual intervention can be useful to the information science and technology research and teaching community as it offers opportunities to cultivate a complex form of what Milner and Phillips describe as “ecological literacy” to holistically understand the mis- and disinformation problem domain as an interconnected set of sociotechnical systems.

The paper describes specific experiences with educational activities aimed at strengthening media literacy in the field of combating disinformation among primary and secondary school teachers, which were implemented in 2022-2023 through the Central European Digital Media Observatory. A total of 3633 primary and secondary school teachers from all over the Czech Republic participated in the education and evaluated the educational events. The article presents examples of specific educational activities oriented to the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes of students through teaching in primary or secondary school.

This study investigated the effect of media and information literacy (MIL) on the ability to identify fake news, disinformation and misinformation, and sharing intentions. The experimental approach was selected to study both the control group and experimental group made up of a total of 187 respondents. Comparative analysis of the two groups revealed that although more respondents in the experimental group were able to identify the inauthenticity of information presented to them, some of the respondents in the control group were also able to do the same, even though they did not receive MIL training. Conversely, some respondents in the experimental group, even though they were trained in MIL, could not determine the inauthenticity of information, possibly because the one-off training given to them did not allow them to assimilate all the information in one sitting. Nonetheless, the results of the bivariate correlation computation showed that MIL trained respondents were more likely to determine authenticity or otherwise of information and less likely to share inaccurate stories. This means that when MIL increases, sharing of fake news decreases. This is yet another evidence that MIL enables information consumers to make informed judgments about quality information. It is recommended that MIL is incorporated into mainstream educational modules andconsistently revised to reflect the demands of the times. MIL programs must also con-sider how to effectively reach those without formal education. Actors within the information, communications, and media ecology must contribute to their quota in making information consumers more discerning with the right MIL sensitisation.

The study examines the role of emotion in news consumption, arguing that traditional news literacy education’s focus on facts and verification is no longer sufficient. It explores how emotion and emotion-analytics technologies shape the spread and impact of fake news in digital environments.

The study focuses on strengthening the assessment of news literacy in response to growing concerns about fake news, misinformation, and changing digital news consumption practices. It aims to update existing news literacy measurement tools by introducing two new scales: the Headline Literacy Scale and the Hard News Standards Knowledge Scale.

The study examines which factors encourage early adolescents (12–15 years) to apply news literacy in practice, rather than merely possess it. The findings show that motivation, skills, and valuing (news) media literacy are more important than production knowledge, and that news consumption and news literacy application are strongly interconnected.

The article examines teenagers’ understanding of news and their news consumption practices. It explores how teens define news, encounter it—largely incidentally through social media or parents—and perceive its relevance to their lives.

This article investigates news literacy among early adolescents by foregrounding their own views and experiences with news. It shows that while adolescents recognize the importance of reliable news, their engagement remains mostly passive and weakly critical.

This study examines how the growth of social media has transformed information access, communication, and democratic participation, highlighting both its benefits and challenges. It explores the relationship between social media use and media literacy, focusing on user engagement, opinion formation, and online dialogue. Findings show that while most users engage with social media daily—primarily for entertainment—few feel comfortable expressing opinions openly. Social media influences political and social participation, though its impact on opinion change varies. Overall, low media literacy awareness underscores the need for education to combat disinformation, strengthen critical thinking, and promote responsible digital citizenship.

The review highlights the importance of media literacy in combating misinformation by strengthening critical thinking skills. It shows that media literacy programs help individuals evaluate information sources, identify bias, and resist false or misleading content. Evidence indicates that trained individuals are less likely to believe or share misinformation. The review emphasizes effective teaching approaches, such as interactive learning and real-world examples, and stresses the need to integrate media literacy into education to support informed citizenship, public discourse, and democratic engagement in the digital age.