Misinformation is false or inaccurate information. It could be a real or edited picture, a social media post, a video/film clip, a file or a website that someone shares or puts online either intentionally or without realising that the information is wrong.

Misinformation has always been around, but in this online digital era it can now be shared quickly and spread more widely than ever before, becoming one of the most talked about and impactful risks facing online users. It has influenced elections, votes, health and challenged what we understand to be ‘true’. Its effects can be devastating on individuals and whole societies.

Everyone has a part to play in tackling misinformation by thinking more critically about what we see online. We recommend that before you start on your digital story you investigate some of the frequently used terms i.e. fake news, misinformation and disinformation to understand what these terms mean and why it is important to be able to recognise what is true and what is not. You may also wish to explore recent issues and events, consider the impact of misinformation as well as explain how thinking critically can help identify false/fake content online.

Your challenge is to produce a digital story* that tackles the issue of misinformation. This can be created as a film, a written story or recorded as an audio clip and could focus on what ‘fake news’ is, or why it might be a problem? You might want to explore how we can recognise misinformation and what we can do to protect ourselves and

others from its influence. Your story doesn’t have to cover all of these: it may simply focus on what misinformation is, or how to recognise fact from fiction.

The central aim of your digital story should be to help others understand the issues that can arise when people believe what they see online without first considering if it could be misinformation.

Empowering individuals not to share information without fact-checking it first is an important message in tackling misinformation online.

*Digital stories are multimediapresentations that can include anycombination of digital media such as text,images, video, audio, social media elements(like tweets), or interactive elements (likemaps) to tell the narrative of the story.

What is misinformation?

The challenge

Judging

Finalists

Competition entries will be reviewed by the Welsh Government judging panel which will include industry experts. Last year’s competition was supported by Education Minister, Kirsty Williams as well as representatives from the Welsh Government, BBC, BBFC, NSPCC, Into Film, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales and the UK Safer Internet Centre.

All finalists will be invited to share their entries at a VIP webinar event on Safer Internet Day 2021 (9 February). A selection of the digital stories will also be hosted on Hwb at Keeping safe online.

A Welsh Government initiative in support ofSafer Internet Day 2021

Tackling Misinformation Digital Storytelling Competition

Key dates for your diaryCompetition launch date:Monday 21 September 2020Competition closing date:Friday 22 January 2021Finalists informed week commencing:Monday 1 February 2021Safer Internet Day 2021 and winners announced: Tuesday 9 February 2021

Competition packA competition pack is available on the Safer Internet Day 2021 competition page in Keeping safe online on Hwb for each age category and includes the following documents to accompany this brief:

rules of entryentry formlearner consent formcopyright informationadditional resources

Entries can be submitted in one of the following formats:

Competition categories

All entries will be accepted and judged in the following age categories:

Early Years (Nursery and Reception)

Primary (Years 1–6)Secondary (Years 7+).

audio (recorded audio clips) – maximum 4 minutes.

film (video clips or animation) – maximum 4 minutes

written (written scripts or stories) – maximum 500 words

Important: If your digital story contains misinformation, this must be highlighted and you must make it clear that the content is not true.

Cadernid Digidolmewn AddysgDigital Resiliencein Education