Think Twice: Caravan to Safeguard Against Disinformation

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The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy’s North India Office (NIO) has recently hosted post-funded speakers in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to highlight the deleterious effect of the spread of false information and challenges in combatting it. Through these speakers, students learned about tools to check the veracity of information and strategies for effectively debunking fake news. NIO engagement has not, however, yet made significant penetration into more rural spaces, where WhatsApp use is far more widespread, and where much of the WhatsApp-fueled violence occurred. In response, the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy’s North India Office now seeks to develop multi-faceted disinformation education programs to reach young audiences in 3rd and 4th tier cities in North India. To advance the physical and informational safety of rural and marginalized North Indians, the Public Affairs Section of the North India Office is interested in leveraging its resources and expertise to help North Indians gain skills they need to make informed decisions about the information they receive. This funding opportunity seeks to create more conscientious consumers of information distributed on social media platforms to reduce threats and risks caused by misinformation and disinformation with a “Caravan to Safeguard Against Disinformation” in rural and at-risk communities in Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in North India over the next 12 months. The engagement method will be modeled on NIO’s previously successful “Anti-GBV Caravan,” which visited multiple cities in North India and engaged with target audiences in relatable media in vernacular language via talks, workshops, street plays, storytelling, handouts, etc. (Please refer to the full announcement available under 'related documents' tab)

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