• To go in role of media creators
• To further develop skills in detecting fake news
• To see how people will react to the fake news

Fake news simulation exercise

Participants are divided in the small groups. Their task is to create fake news – it can be an article, video or they can try to create a deep fake video.

They should create a plan, and crate their news, post it online and track and respond to comments.

When participants are finished, they should have a presentation of the main findings (look down below at the instructions).

After each presentation, other people can comment or ask additional questions or clarifications.

In the end, trainer asks:

• How was this for you?
• How did you feel during this simulation?
• Are you satisfied with the result?
• What did you get out of this exercise?

The instructions for participants are the following:

Create fake news article, video, deepfake, series of pictures, online ad… it depends on you!

Think how you will place the fake news. What strategies will you use (fear, panic..)?

• All team members should participate.
• When you are satisfied with your creations, post it on your social media and wait for reactions. You can also find groups that are passionate about the topic you chose and post the link to see the reactions.
• Give some time for comments and reactions to arrive. Engage in discussion and reply promptly.
• In the end, each group should present their fake news, and describe the whole process of creation. They should also present the reactions and was their fake news successful. They should also assess in the presentation of their work as fake news creator was successful or not.