College students pioneer ‘fake news’ education programme

A team of students at Derby College Group have been spearheading an innovative programme that aims to educate young people about fake news and how to spot it.

The two-year Media Literacy Ambassador programme has been launched by the Guardian Foundation, with funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Derby College Group is the first college in the UK to take part in the programme and only the second educational establishment in the country to be involved.

The project is a cross-curricular collaboration involving a team of 26 GCSE Plus and Level 2 Extended Certificate in Creative Media Studies students.

In December the students visited the Guardian Education Centre offices in London and took part in a news editing workshop.

Then, in January, journalists from the Guardian Foundation travelled to Derby College to deliver two workshops to the students – a ‘fake or real’ workshop and a ‘how to educate your peers’ workshop.

The students have since delivered this training to their peers at the college, educating them about misinformation and disinformation in the media, how to spot fake news and how to critically evaluate news stories to determine the facts behind the headlines.

Debbie Painter, curriculum manager of GCSE Plus at Derby College Group, said: “It’s been fantastic for our students to work closely with the Guardian Foundation team and play such a pivotal role in impacting how this exciting programme will be developed over the next two years.

“It is not easy to deliver to your peers, but our students have thrived in this leadership role and we are very proud of the work they have achieved.

“We have delivered to around 180 students, which is the most of all the schools and colleges involved in the project to date.

“The project has had a big impact on those that have taken part; it’s developed their critical thinking and evaluation skills, enhanced their teamwork and leadership skills, and boosted their confidence.

“We look forward to continuing to help deliver the programme over the coming months.”