This self-paced training course, Ethics in the Fight Against Disinformation: Practical Dilemmas for Media and Civic Actors, is designed for professionals working at the frontline of the information integrity ecosystem.
The course adresses the ethical dilemmas that arise when detecting, exposing, and countering disinformation – from fact-checking and OSINT investigations to the use of AI tools and platform accountability mechanisms. Rather than offering a technical manual, the course starts from a simple but often overlooked premise: countering disinformation is not only a technical challenge, but a fundamentally ethical one. It helps practitioners think through the dilemmas that rules and tools alone cannot resolve – from deciding when to expose a false narrative to understanding the limits of platform accountability and the risks associated with AI-assisted detection. It is structured as a modular, self-paced kit, with each of its six chapters addressing a distinct dimension of the challenge and closing with reflection exercises and practical case studies.
To mark the launch of the course, we hosted a dedicated webinar – the recording is available here.
The course, developed as part of the EU-funded PERiSCOPE project, is aimed at a diverse range of practitioners who encounter disinformation in their professional work, including journalists and investigative media, educators and media literacy professionals, civil society organisations and human rights defenders, and AI developers and technology practitioners. Each of these audiences faces specific ethical responsibilities and dilemmas, and the course is designed to be relevant across all of them, while acknowledging that the application of shared principles differs depending on professional context.
No prior technical expertise is required. Each module can be studied independently or as part of a full sequence, with an estimated completion time of 30 to 45 minutes per chapter.
This training course was created as part of EU DisinfoLab’s contributions to the the PERiSCOPE project.
Grant Agreement No 101252405. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.