No chance for fake news

Young people get most of their news from the internet and social media, where they are often confronted with fake news, hate speech and disinformation. The ability to distinguish facts from opinions and advertising is therefore increasingly becoming a key qualification for making informed judgments. However, studies show that many schools lack meaningful media education concepts.
This is where a support project comes in, which aims to strengthen media literacy at Waldorf schools. Media educator and Waldorf teacher Franz Glaw and other experienced colleagues are cooperating with the journalism start-up Buzzard. Buzzard collects media reports on current topics from a broad spectrum of opinions, classifies them journalistically and offers structured overviews - a valuable aid for keeping track of the often confusing debate situation. An app provides users with daily content from over 2,000 media outlets, supplemented by summaries and background information. The service is aimed at private individuals and companies, but teachers can also use exclusive digital or analog content in the classroom with the appropriate licenses.
"Digital media are an integral part of our reality today," emphasizes SAGST project manager Jana Theurer. "To be able to use them effectively as supportive tools, it is crucial to learn how to use them." As part of the Waldorf school cooperation, a media education kit is being developed with practical teaching materials that can be integrated into the specific curriculum. Workshops and training courses will help teachers with implementation, as will a network of pilot schools to promote the exchange of experience. In the future, the developed materials will also be made available on an online platform for all Waldorf teachers in years 7 to 13.