The Media Development Foundation (MDF) and Deutsche Welle Akademie (DWA) joint program - Myth Detector Lab - calls for youngsters to join an intensive course on fact-checking and verification. 

Myth Detector Lab was launched in 2017 and unites 224 alumni. In the framework of the program’s internship component, the participants have published more than 500 investigative articles on MDF’s fact-checking platform "Myth Detector.” 

For the first time this year, the program is implemented on a regional scale, under the framework of which an English-language module was added to the course. Youngsters from Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as Ukrainian refugees living in Georgia, will have the opportunity to participate in the English-language module.

Within the framework of the program, participants will acquire the following skills and competencies:

• Fact-checking and verification through Open-source Intelligence (OSINT) tools and techniques;

• Researching the new media ecosystem;

• Identifying and detecting Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (CIB);

• Preparation of multimedia content;

• Preparing and publishing articles on the fact-checking portal www.mythdetector.ge as part of the internship component;

• Other relevant topics around Media and Information Literacy (MIL).

The concluding part of the program envisages a competition for identifying the best multimedia project on the topic of disinformation and propaganda, where the winners will be awarded digital devices and certificates. After completing all the stages of the course, the participants will receive certificates of fact-checking and media ecosystem research from the MDF and DW Akademie.

Applicants willing to participate in the training course must meet the following requirements:

• be 18-30 years old;

• be a citizen of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan or Ukraine;

• have a good command of the English language.

PROGRAM FORMAT AND DATES

The standard duration of the course is 3.5 months and includes intensive on-site seminars in Tbilisi for 4 days in September and 3 days in October, as well as remote online internships on the Russian and English-language websites of "Myth Detector" in between. In addition, the module also entails the presentation of the competition papers at the awarding ceremony held in Tbilisi at the end of the program. Travel and living expenses of selected participants from Armenia and Azerbaijan are fully covered by the program.

Interested candidates should fill out the application form by  July 31, 2023, on the following link.

Candidates shortlisted based on the application will also be invited for an interview. 

In case of additional questions, contact us at at info@mdfgeorgia.ge (Please indicate "Myth Detector Lab” in the subject section)

Please note that the number of participants is limited!

About MDF

The Media Development Foundation was founded in 2008 and is a leading Georgian organization in media monitoring, disinformation research and media literacy.

In 2014, MDF launched a fact-checking web-portal Myth Detector, to track disinformation flow, analyze major trends in propaganda methods and respond to fake media content with a fact-based approach. Myth Detector is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) of the Poynter Institute and Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Program partner in Georgia.