Ukraine Partners With UNESCO to Promote Media Literacy and Spot Fake News

Aiming to enhance media and information literacy across Ukraine, the “Media Literacy is Freedom” campaign, launched by the NGO Detector Media and Spinus Agency in cooperation with UNESCO, focuses on fostering critical thinking and the ability to identify disinformation, particularly in times of war.

A compelling social video, now broadcasting for several days on the prominent screen at Kyiv’s Gulliver shopping center, serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of media literacy in the fight against misinformation.

A recent study by Detector Media, the Media Literacy Index of Ukrainians, published in early 2024, found that media literacy levels declined during the second year of the full-scale war.

“The level of media and information literacy depends on age, level of education, well-being, and place of residence. It is quite predictable that it is high among young people aged 18–25 (due to digital competence) and low among the older age group of 56–65. The lower the educational status, the lower the level of media and information literacy,” said Nataliia Ligachova, head of Detector Media.

The campaign provides practical guidelines for identifying manipulation, recognizing false narratives, and choosing reliable sources of information. Over the next month, social videos will be broadcast across digital screens in Kyiv shopping centers, on Ukrzaliznytsia  trains, and on national television. Well-known journalists, bloggers, comedians, and actors will explain key media literacy skills, such as distinguishing facts from opinions and verifying sources.

One of the campaign’s videos presents media hygiene as a basic safety habit, comparable to crossing the street on a green light or washing hands before eating. Another video likens information consumption to diet: just as people choose healthy food, they should also select credible news sources.

“As part of the campaign, it is important for us to remind Ukrainians to at least unsubscribe from anonymous channels that are not supported by well-known news brands or state institutions. Anything anonymous is created to manipulate consciousness, so there is no reason to read it.” said Vadym Misky, program director of Detector Media.

The organization plans to update its Media Literacy Index in the near future, with hopes that the campaign will encourage people to engage critically with information and diversify their media consumption.

UNESCO supports media literacy initiatives in Ukraine, helping citizens develop the critical thinking skills needed to navigate an information landscape increasingly shaped by digital disinformation.

“For us, this work is extremely important in times of war, when Ukrainians actively use social networks to obtain information and are faced with the need to distinguish true information from false, including that created with the help of AI,” said Chiara Deci Bardeschi, Head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine.

Earlier, in a January 31 interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, American political commentator Tucker Carlson referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator.” Throughout the conversation, Carlson made 74 false claims, contributing to the spread of misinformation.