Future leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia explore Spain’s fight against disinformation

A group of young leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia concluded a three-day study visit to Madrid, gaining firsthand insights into Spain’s innovative approaches to combating misinformation and promoting media literacy.

The visit, organized as part of the OUR MEDIA project’s Regional Academy for Future Leaders of Change, brought together participants from both countries to meet with three leading Spanish organizations at the forefront of fact-checking and media literacy initiatives.

The program kicked off on November 18 with a visit to Maldita, an independent journalistic platform that has become a reference point in controlling disinformation and public discourse through fact-checking and data journalism techniques. The young leaders had the opportunity to learn about Maldita’s methodologies and tools in their daily fight against false information.

On November 19, the group visited two major players in Spain’s fact-checking ecosystem. At Newtral, participants explored how the media organization combines fact-checking with cutting-edge technology, including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, to develop automated, language-agnostic fact-checking solutions. This innovative approach offers crucial insights for promoting transparency and providing reliable, evidence-based information.

Later that day, the academy fellows met with EFE Verifica, the fact-checking and verification unit of Agencia EFE, Spain’s leading news agency. The session highlighted how a traditional news agency has adapted to the challenges of the digital age by establishing a dedicated unit to combat misinformation through rigorous, evidence-based journalism.

The study visit is part of the capacity building component of the OUR MEDIA project, which aims to generate media literacy and activism, counter polarization, and promote dialogue across the Western Balkans region.

By exposing young leaders to international best practices in fact-checking and media literacy, the project seeks to build a new generation of change-makers equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary to address disinformation challenges in their own communities.

The participants will now apply the knowledge and experiences gained in Madrid to their ongoing work in promoting media literacy and combating disinformation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.