As artificial intelligence and social media make it harder than ever to tell fact from fiction, the Prince’s Government has launched a new programme designed to help young Europeans navigate disinformation, opening applications to 18 to 30-year-olds across the continent.
The initiative, ‘Youth Facing Disinformation – Why Journalists Matter’, forms part of Monaco’s presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers and sits under the organisation’s wider ‘Journalists Matter’ campaign for the safety of journalists. It is designed to give young people the tools to recognise authentic, verified sources, and is set to continue beyond the end of Monaco’s presidency in November.
Events planned in the Principality this October
In Monaco, the programme will run a series of public-facing events in October, including a press conference, a round-table discussion open to the public, and workshops and debates in schools involving international experts and Monegasque journalists. A companion video series is also in production, using a Socratic, fiction-based approach inspired by the style of social media content and short-form series, aimed at engaging young audiences directly on the mechanics of information overload, conspiracy thinking and disinformation.
A closing conference in Strasbourg
The programme’s centrepiece will be a two-day international conference in Strasbourg on 9th and 10th November, bringing together around 40 young people from across Europe at the Palace of Europe and the European Youth Centre. The event, which will mark the close of Monaco’s presidency, will combine high-level panels with interactive workshops involving media specialists, journalists and policymakers.
How to apply
Young applicants from Council of Europe member states can apply to join year-long working groups tasked with developing concrete projects on reliable information and quality journalism, by submitting a technological, artistic or environmental project through the Council of Europe’s website before 1st July. Up to four grants of €5,000 will be awarded to selected projects, which will be showcased at the Strasbourg event. A separate call, open from 6th July to 1st September, will allow young people who do not wish to join a year-long working group to apply simply to attend the Strasbourg conference itself.
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Photo credit: Rich Tervet, Unsplash