Logisch and NewsMobile are launching a pan-Indian media literacy program to combat Covid-19 misinformation

Fact checkers Logically and NewsMobile have announced that they are collaborating on a series of media literacy workshops on Covid-19 misinformation. Facebook’s fact checking partners said the company’s support made the workshops possible.

The anti-misinformation program called Covishaala aims to educate and educate people across India about the facts about Covid-19 and Covid-19 vaccinations in order to reduce vaccination hesitation and limit the spread of the disease.

Covishaala employs a “train the trainer” model that provides professionals in a variety of fields including medicine, education and journalism with the tools and information they need to combat the Covid-19 misinformation that is looming affect their communities.

Delivered by representatives from Logically and NewsMobile together with local journalists and the medical community, the course includes instructions in various languages ​​on how to spot misinformation, build media literacy and identify trustworthy sources of information. It also offers strategies to translate that knowledge into actionable advice that is applicable and accessible to any audience in India.

Covishaala held its first successful workshop in July this year, attended by professionals from Delhi, Gurgaon and Mumbai. It will now be rolled out across India over the next two months and will undergo a full evaluation and impact assessment when completed.

Lyric Jain, founder and CEO of Logically, said Covishaala is specifically geared towards those most vulnerable to false news, rumors and narratives. “By equipping influential leaders and experts with the information and strategies they need to help people in their communities, we can take a proven and scalable approach to addressing harmful Covid-19 misinformation. We are grateful for the support of our partners Facebook and NewsMobile in making this program possible … Covid-19 misinformation threatens lives and we must act now to combat it. ”

Saurabh Shukla, editor-in-chief and co-founder of NewsMobile, said the company believes Covishaala can address one of the biggest challenges of Covid-19 infodemia, that of vaccines and Covid-19 misinformation. “We believe that in collaboration with Facebook and with our partner Logically and our mentors for physicians, we can take this one-of-a-kind series to the last mile,” he added.

Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships at Facebook India, said, “This partnership is the latest step in our ongoing efforts to support fact-checkers and connect them with resources to stop the spread of Covid-19 and health misinformation. We look forward to supporting Logically and NewsMobile in our shared goal of tackling Covid-19 misinformation by training experts and community leaders to identify and reduce misinformation across the country.

Over four Lakh Indians have so far lost their lives to the coronavirus pandemic, which affects billions of people worldwide. With over three million people who have tested positive in the country, India is among the top three hardest hit in the world. The companies said that in addition to the rising numbers, the “infodemia” of misinformation related to Covid-19 is causing panic and fueling hesitation about vaccines. They said strengthening resilience to Covid-19 misinformation through media literacy programs is an essential step in reducing the spread of the disease and improving vaccine adoption.