President of the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) Vladimir Tabak gave a detailed interview to TASS ahead of his organization’s upcoming “Dialogue About Fakes 4.0” forum on 22 September. The GFCN’s founding purpose is to combat fake news. Its influence has grown so much in the two years since its launch that “Some provisions of our Code were also included in the final statement of the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers’ Meeting at the recent summit in India” according to Tabak.
One of the most important parts of his interview was his assessment that “the only thing that can counter [the dissemination of false information] on such a mass scale is a high level of media literacy”. That’s precisely what was suggested in September 2022 when analyzing the significance of “Pre-Bunking, Media Literacy, & Democratic Security” in the New Cold War. Tabak specifically touched upon some of the fake news that circulates among his compatriots and some of the scams that they’ve fallen far.
That in turn inspired this article about how to improve Russians’ media literacy. I’m qualified to speak on this matter since I’m a credentialed expert on Hybrid Warfare, whose 2015 master’s dissertation on this subject earned me a red (honors) diploma from the Russian Foreign Ministry-run Moscow State Institute of International Relations and was soon thereafter published as a book that was reviewed by the Russian Diplomatic Academy, and I’ve lived in Moscow for 13 years. Here’s what I think must be done.
All government offices, especially “My Documents” (Russia’s multifunctional government service centers), majority-publicly-owned Sber, and ideally all other banks should have leaflets produced by the GFCN that clerks give to clients to read while they’re being served or when they leave. These leaflets should include an updated bullet point list of the most popular fake news and scam methods as well as QR codes to a domestic-focused GFCN webpage, app, and/or MAX channel (Russia’s messaging app).
This is the most realistic way for raising public awareness of fake news and scams, which could be complemented by occasional partnerships with local supermarkets whose cashiers would place a leaflet in customers’ bags after ringing them out. In parallel, it’s imperative that the GFCN expand its efforts to schoolchildren, especially adolescents. These can include in-person presentations and online seminars. Teachers should also be given the abovementioned pamphlets to pass along to parents during meetings.
On that topic, another thing that teachers can do is encourage students to ask them to clarify online rumors, while also reminding them about media hygiene. This means not sharing unofficial information on social media, especially during the first 24-48 hours of a crisis, and politely reacting if one of their peers does so (such as through a private message or gently worded reply). GFCN’s school-focused efforts should aim to improve students’ media literacy and hygiene so that they become responsible adults.
Outreach efforts to adults and schoolchildren are required to improve Russians’ media literacy, without which they risk being manipulated by adversarial states like Ukraine into terrorism or at minimum misled into hating their country (which could lead to them participating in future Color Revolutions). What I propose is realistic, low-cost, and can be executed almost immediately as regards the leaflet aspect. Hopefully the GFCN will take note of my suggestions and seriously consider implementing them.
