Pupils become "lie detectives

On 3 May, pupils of the Städtische Gesamtschule Bocholt will be trained as "lie detectives" for the first time: Europe Direct is bringing the Lie Detectors concept, which has won an award from the EU Commission, to Bocholt for the first time as part of a nationwide media week.

False reports and manipulatively spread fake news are on the rise on the internet and in social networks all over Europe - and many of these "fake news" are difficult to recognise at first glance. On the occasion of International Press Freedom Day, Lie Detectors will be teaching for the first time in Bocholt how to unmask fakes on the internet and how professional journalism works.

Europe Direct and Bocholt's mayor Thomas Kerkhoff invite the non-profit, award-winning organisation. During the state-wide media week in NRW, journalists from Lie Detectors will train a total of more than 20 classes of the Städtische Gesamtschule Bocholt.

Professionals in exchange with young people

Thomas Kerkhoff, mayor of Bocholt, says it is immensely important to give pupils good tools to be able to move safely in the media world: "With the mass of information and targeted disinformation or fake news that reaches us every day through different media, it is necessary to be able to classify it critically," says Kerkhoff.

That is why he is particularly pleased to have won a new format, the Lie Detectors, which "aims precisely at such sensitisation" as part of our Europe Direct commitment.

Jens Heinemann, headmaster of the Städtische Gesamtschule in Bocholt, is also very pleased to be able to bring this project to his school: "Against the background of schools moving more and more into the digital world, the importance of media literacy cannot be rated highly enough. In particular, identifying false news makes a fundamental contribution here that schools alone can no longer provide. That is why we are pleased to be supported in our work by the Lie Detectors."

Positive balance of the Lie Detectors

The balance of the approximately 3,500 school visits that Lie Detectors has carried out since 2017 is very positive after evaluating the questionnaires: "The overwhelming majority gives the project for strengthening the media competence of children and young people top marks," says Lie Detectors founder and managing director Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck.

Thus, 98 percent of the teachers would recommend the 90-minute interactive media competence training with experienced media representatives to their colleagues. Almost all pupils also rated the offer positively. 92 percent said that they were more interested in and better understood the topics of false news and journalism after the teaching unit. "We are happy to now also be active in Bocholt," said Annkatrin Kaiser, the programme director of Lie Detectors in Germany.

International Press Freedom Day

The "Lie Detectors" already exist in six countries. They are active in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland and Switzerland in English, French, German and Polish. The project was awarded the Digital Skills Award 2018 in the field of education by a jury appointed by the European Commission.

The class visits in Bocholt will take place around International Press Freedom Day (3 May) as part of nationwide activities organised by the Journalismus macht Schule association. In total, more than 20 classes in Bocholt are visited by journalists from Lie Detectors. A complete overview of all activities on Press Freedom Day is available at https://journalismus-macht-schule.org/.