University News Last updated 22 April
Birmingham City University’s (BCU) partner organisation Meedan has been recognised at the prestigious Skoll Awards (2024) for their work in encouraging media innovation.
The US-based technology company has worked with BCU over the last decade, alongside an extensive network of over 70 civil society groups, to train over 9,000 journalists, activists, archivists, human rights advocates and community organisations across 45 countries.
Academics from the university played an instrumental role in establishing the ‘Check’ project, which helps combat ‘fake news’ epidemics and media misinformation across the globe.
Participants received training to improve their digital literacy skills, including open-source investigative journalism, fact checking, online advocacy, digital security and ethics.
The project was set up in response to the rising threat of media misinformation in North Africa and Western Asia (NAWA) and helps citizen journalists corroborate information and find accurate news sources, transforming the scale and quality of regional journalism.
Nick Webber, Director of the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research at BCU, believes the Check project is one of the most significant undertakings he has witnessed in his career:
“Free and open journalism is a vital cornerstone of a modern functioning society and it’s important we continue to champion this practice in countries undergoing everything from war and revolution to ‘fake news’ epidemics.
“This research is vital to promoting international cooperation between journalists. Through our work with Meedan we have secured funding to expand this activity to East Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.”
According to Dima Saber, Director of Programs and Impact Lead at Meedan, the importance of this work cannot be overstated:
“The Check project is a testament to the power of South-South activism and solidarity, especially in moments of exception - such as elections, democratic transitions, and conflict or social turmoil.
“The fact that Meedan is one of the four winners of the Skoll award for media innovation this year makes me more hopeful for our potential as grassroot civil society organizations working on the impossible task of making the Internet, and by extension our own hyperlocal offline communities, kinder, safer and more inclusive.”