Kia ora from Jess,
Sometimes you find yourself in the strangest of conversations. Conversations you never thought you would have with the person who is talking to you. Those conversations where what is being said is so clearly false, and well let's face it kind of off the planet, that you are a bit stunned that the person seems to believe it.
It’s been 4 years since writing ‘A Matter of Fact. Talking Truth in a Post Truth World’ – a book that came out of my own curiosity about why people believe false information and what works to overcome it. Since then people often ask me “what do you do when people you thought had a reasonable grip on reality start talking conspiracies and false information?” And to be honest a lot of the time I say “Well if you think there is not a lot that is going to shift them, it's probably best to say very little”.
However, that is not that helpful for those facing the realities. False information is unsettling, concerning and harmful. But the good news is that across our communities many of us are in the position to do something about it.
It starts with creating a healthy information environment, one where false information can’t ignite. When Marianne Elliott and I started The Workshop, one of our first big pieces of work was understanding the upstream interventions that would help people in governments, civil society and business build a healthy information environment and protect our democracies from being undermined by people using false information. Marianne spent a lot of time talking to experts, and people harmed by false information. The Threats to Digital Democracy Report is a foundational piece of work that captures the learnings and insights.
We also recognised that we need false information interventions at many levels and places in our communities. We needed to prevent false information from going from a spark to full blown fire – a fire that the squirt gun of truth will not put out.
Now, as part of our work at The Workshop, our team, with additional funding from New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi and InternetNZ, have created a training to help people do just that – intervene effectively before the false information gets away on us. And we are really excited about it.
What is in The Workshop False information training?
This training is for anyone who is thinking about or concerned about how to address false information. It's focussed so people complete the learning in two short sessions. You will practice three of the most well researched strategies and tactics to counter false information, wherever you find it. These strategies and tactics cover both online and in person scenarios. Importantly, this training will give you tools to think about and approach false information before it hits you or your programme of work – whatever that might be.
My favorite is our adaptation of George Lakoff's Truth Sandwich – an alternative to fact checking that sandwiches false information between shared values and reliable information.
Each training includes two x 90 minute online sessions where people will learn and practice the most effective ways to counter false information. There is also about an hour of pre-reading which will be sent in advance.
I love this course because it is about showing people there are things we can do that work. Yes, false information is out there, and people still have the ability to think critically and see false information for what it is with the right support. There is a lot to be optimistic about especially given the tools available to us. We would love to see you and share some of these tools with you.
How to book your place on Countering False Information
Book using the links below before 10 September and take advantage of early bird pricing:
Training #1 led by Marianne Elliott on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 September 9.30 - 11.00
Training #2 led by Jess Berentson-Shaw on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 September 9.30 - 11.00
We are offering five discounted places per training for grassroots activists and advocates working in a volunteer role. These discounted places are for the first five people to book using voucher code GRASSROOTS.
Union delegates and members can access this training free via NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi using this booking link.