New Delhi:  On the occasion of Teachers' Day on Thursday, Vishwas News, the fact checking unit of Jagran New Media, organized a special online program on the topic "How to empower students to identify misinformation". It was attended by eminent academicians and professors from across the country. The aim of the webinar was to explain the importance of media literacy to students and discuss measures to empower them to avoid the influence of misinformation.

Panelists and their roles

The webinar was attended by several eminent speakers who shared their experiences and expertise. The panelists included:

• Dr. Amarendra Kumar, Associate Professor, Journalism and Mass Communication, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi: Dr. Amarendra emphasized on media literacy and said that as teachers, it is our responsibility to make our students aware about misinformation and disinformation
• Dr Jitendra Singh, Associate Professor and HoD, School of Liberal and Creative Arts (Journalism), Lovely Professional University, Punjab: He spoke about how the increased activity on social media platforms has led to the spread of misinformation and what steps should be taken to curb this.
• Dr. Archana Kumari, Associate Professor, Centre for Media Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi: Dr. Archana said that media literacy must be included in school and college curriculum so that students can develop the ability to cross-check information coming on social media right from an early stage.
• Dr. Tanushree Mukherjee, Associate Professor, Amity School of Communication, Amity University, Jaipur, Rajasthan: She talked about how important it is to train students in the process of analysing and verifying information and how we can train students.
• Dr. Amita, Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: Dr. Amita emphasized that first of all teachers also need to keep themselves aware for media literacy so that they can empower students to identify misinformation.
• Yasir Arafat, Academician and Research Scholar, Central University of Himachal Pradesh and Former Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Mass Communication Jammu: He said that in this era of social media, the trends of misinformation are also constantly changing. In such a situation, it is important to start this literacy mission from your home and save the society from misinformation and disinformation.

Key points of the webinar

During the webinar, the panelists discussed several important points:

• Importance of Media Literacy: All the speakers emphasized that it is necessary to have knowledge of media literacy so that students can find out the truth of any kind of information. They said that students are an important part of the society and they have the right to access the right information.
• Fact-checking methods: Panelists discussed various ways to check the authenticity of information, such as checking the source, assessing the author’s credibility, and comparing facts to other credible sources.
• Spread of misinformation on social media: With the increasing use of social media, the spread of misinformation has also increased. The speakers emphasized that students should be taught how to understand and cross-check the information available on social media.
• Importance of dialogue and discussion: All the panelists emphasized that dialogue and discussion must be promoted among students so that they can exchange their knowledge and ideas and learn from each other.

Response to the program

The webinar received a great response and was appreciated by all the participants. The teachers gave their wide-ranging views on the questions asked during the webinar. An effort was made to make the society aware and promote media literacy through the programme. The participants appreciated the initiative and expressed their desire to participate in such programmes in the future as well.

Vishvas News is committed to spreading awareness in the society and fighting against misinformation through such webinars and initiatives. This webinar was an important step in this direction, empowering both students and teachers to understand the importance of media literacy and avoid misinformation.

This webinar not only empowered the students to identify misinformation but also motivated them to actively work in this direction. Vishvas News will continue to bring positive change in the society through such initiatives. Join us and be a part of this important effort. Let us together spread awareness against misinformation and empower the society.