To combat misinformation and promote media literacy among youth and Gen Zs, MICA, Ahmedabad, has forged a significant collaboration with DataLEADS to set up a FactShala zonal hub on its campus.
This partnership positions the Centre for Development Management and Communication (CDMC) at MICA as one of the pioneering three zonal hubs of FactShala, India’s largest news and information literacy programme.
Led by DataLEADS, a digital media and information initiative supported by the Google News Initiative, this pan-India project aims to empower individuals and communities to build resilience against misinformation. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) enables experts at CDMC to spearhead media literacy initiatives in the Western region and establish a student media literacy network.
Over the next six months, students from various colleges in Gujarat will take part in hackathons and debunkathons, employing newsletters, podcasts, and radio shows to combat misinformation and deep fakes. The programme will actively engage a team of MICA students and is scheduled to run from August 2023 to January 2024.
Dr Shailendra Raj Mehta, President and Director, MICA, remarked, “We are living in an era of endemic misinformation and outright disinformation. The authenticity of information has become a long-standing issue affecting businesses and society. We believe MICA’s expertise in building innovative approaches and interventions will contribute to a greater cause.”
Under the zonal hub programme, these educational institutions will collaborate with more than 500 colleges in their respective regions to enhance media literacy.
Dr Githa Heggde, Dean, MICA, emphasised the growing significance of media literacy and the need to instill media ethics in future leaders. She acknowledged that the rapid expansion of internet and social media access had both positive and negative impacts. MICA’s faculty members and alumni have been actively engaged in the media sector, and the institution has consistently emphasised imparting media literacy and ethics to its students. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in their endeavour, and they anticipate a positive impact on the media sector through this initiative, she said.
FactShala Zonal Hubs will provide a platform for education institutes to lead media literacy initiatives within their respective regions, fostering a culture of critical thinking and information literacy. The programme aims to harness India’s demographic dividend by channelling the energy of university students to prepare different regions of the country for a robust information ecosystem.
Prof Manisha Pathak-Shelat, Co-Chair, CDMC, MICA, highlighted the significant role media and information literacy played in improving personal and public life quality. She commended the opportunity this partnership offers to institutionalise the media literacy programme, as FactShala’s vision aligns perfectly with MICA’s vision of creating a community of informed consumers and critical thinkers within university campuses.
DataLEADS founder and CEO, Syed Nazakat, stressed the crucial role of youth in shaping India’s future and the pressing need to enhance their information literacy skills. He viewed the FactShala Zonal Hub as a pioneering effort to institutionalise media literacy activities in collaboration with participating education institutes.
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