Beirut: The May Chidiac Foundation - Media Institute (MCF-MI), in collaboration with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), successfully concluded its initiative "Decode the News: Media Literacy for Democratic Resilience" at the MCF-MI Studio. The training program, designed to equip young adults with the skills to identify and counter disinformation, featured seven interactive workshops focusing on media, digital verification, and governance.
According to National news agency - Lebanon, the project aimed to bolster the capacity of individuals aged 18 to 30 from varied academic and professional backgrounds, empowering them to tackle disinformation and AI-generated content. The initiative emerged in response to the increasing spread of false information across Lebanon, as many young people primarily rely on social media for news, lacking the critical tools to verify its credibility. The program sought to enhance public discourse quality and rebuild trust in democratic processes by providing participants with practical skills in fact-checking and AI awareness.
The project's closing ceremony included the distribution of certificates to participants who completed the program. The certificates were presented by H.E. Dr. Paul Morcos, Minister of Information; Dr. May Chidiac, President and Founder of MCF-MI; and Albert Jawhar, Representative of KAS, recognizing the participants' efforts in developing critical thinking and verification skills.
The event featured three panel discussions with experts and participants, who presented video reports created during the workshops. The first panel, "The Anatomy of Lies - How False Information Is Made and Why We Believe It," explored the mechanisms behind disinformation's creation and spread. Discussions highlighted the psychological and algorithmic factors that amplify fake news and the importance of media accountability and law reforms.
The second panel, "Seeing Through the Noise - Tools and Methods for Digital Verification," focused on digital verification methodologies. Experts discussed AI's dual role in generating and detecting manipulated content and emphasized the necessity of digital literacy and robust legal frameworks to adapt to technological advancements.
The third panel, "Truth, Power, and Democracy - Disinformation in Lebanon and the Region," examined the political implications of disinformation. Panelists noted how false narratives undermine elections and public trust, stressing the importance of transparency laws and the need for a strategic approach to restore truth and trust in information, crucial for safeguarding democracy.