Starting from May of 2018, in the frameworks of project-based learning, students of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at SUSU ISSH’s Faculty of Journalism are taking part in an international journalism project called EUfactcheck, organised by the European Journalism Training Association. The purpose of the project is to check information, organise fact checking and teach this process to the new generation of journalists. There are 20 European universities which take part in the project along with SUSU; among them are: Thomas More University (Belgium), Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Institute of Journalism at Paris Dauphine University (France), Aristotle University (Greece), etc. Project leader at SUSU, Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Doctor of Sciences (Philology) Liudmila Shesterkina and project adviser, Associate Professor at the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Candidate of Sciences (Philology) Anna Krasavina took part in training and workshops on EUfactcheck project at the Institute of Media in Utrecht (Netherlands).
“Speakers and master class hosts were professionals in the sphere of media, who are acknowledged and very authoritative in Europe,” said Liudmila Shesterkina. “For example, Julie Posetti, leads the Journalism Research Project at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, author of two textbooks approved by UNESCO and entitled ‘Protecting Journalism Sources in the Digital Age’ and ‘Journalism, Fake News and Disinformation’. There was also Jenny Sargent, Managing Director of First Draft fact-checking project. In February of 2017, Jenny Sargent acted as initiator of a project for journalistic collaborations in the sphere of fact checking and verification entitled ‘Cross Check’. This provided a very high level of training on fact checking and allowed us holding negotiations on further cooperation at a high level.”
As a result of participation in training and workshops within the EUfactcheck project at the Institute of Media, SUSU representatives concluded the following agreements:
- with Julie Posetti: on cooperation with ISSH’s Faculty of Journalism, translation of the textbook entitled “’Fake’ News and Disinformation” into Russian language and its publication at SUSU.
- with Jenny Sargent: on participation of students of the SUSU Faculty of Journalism in operation of Cross Check multimedia international professional media platform.
- with Karin Touwen, the international representative and senior lecturer at the Institute of Media at Utrecht University, coordinator of Europe in the World project: on cooperation in the sphere of creation and development of a social project in the format of VR journalism.
- with Anneli Franu, a lecturer at the Fojo Media Institute (Sweden): on cooperation and translation of a fact-checking portal from Swiss into Russian.
- with Nico Drok, the President of the European Journalism Training Association, a discussion was held regarding the programme of the international science and education forum entitled “Communication Leader of the 21st Century” which is to be he;d at SUSU in March of 2019.
Moreover, negotiations were held with a representative of the Evens Foundation (Belgium) on possible sponsorship cooperation within the upcoming EJTA Conference at SUSU in 2020.
