"Learning to think critically": Video initiative strengthening MIL in Kyrgyzstan

"Fake news spreads faster than the virus itself," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), describing the situation last year. 

Since the pandemic, conspiracy theories and false news about instant COVID-19 remedies have been making the rounds, including in Kyrgyzstan. But fast and trustworthy information are vital. To prevent people from falling victim to disinformation, DW Akademie's partner, Kyrgyz Media Support Center Foundation, has launched a video initiative to strengthen people's Media and Information Literacy (MIL).   

Together with DW Akademie, and with funding from Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the foundation produced ten informative and entertaining videos in Russian and the Kyrgyz language. The videos focused on fake news, disinformation and cyber-mobbing and were aired on the country's public broadcaster, KTRK, and its news channel Ala-Too 24, Kyrgyzstan's two most viewed TV channels. 

Influencing for MIL 

To reach as many people as possible and to raise awareness about the campaign, the foundation brought in two well-known local Instagram personalities: Bektur Usenov and Nursultan Kursanali Uulua. Although both had appeared in front of the camera before, neither had ever starred in an MIL video.  

In one video, Nursultan played a father who had received information about "the rising US dollar," "helicopters spraying poison," and "the dangers of 5G." He then shared the information on WhatsApp groups without checking it first. While it's an entertaining scenario, it's also one that is familiar to viewers, many of whom have relatives who uncritically spread information, believing that everything they see or read is true. But few are aware of the consequences of passing on false information.   

Many social media users liked the videos and shared them with their parents and relatives. Some videos had up to 500,000 views on social media platforms. Aichurek Usupbaeva, program director at Media Support Center Foundation, said this showed it was an effective approach.  

"The videos have helped people to see and understand the problem, and to question how they usually react themselves," she explained. Above all, she added, they have become critical of the information they receive.  

In Kyrgyzstan, both young and older viewers tend to click, like and share short videos without much thought, Usupbaeva said. "This has increased since the pandemic, especially in private WhatsApp groups," she explained. One reason was that people now had little direct contact with each other and this had made social media and messenger apps their main channel of communication.  

"People are more trusting if they receive videos and information via private, closed groups," she said. "They then think it's true and doesn't need to be verified."  

Promoting MIL in education institutes 

Schools and other education institutes in Kyrgyzstan see the project as a model for promoting MIL among young people. DW Akademie is also supporting its partners in developing their own curricula.  

"Everyone should have the freedom to form and express their opinions," said Elena Lee Baranovski, head of development at the AUCA Innovation College in the capital, Bishkek. To practice this, she asks her students to create memes for historical events and then present them to their classmates. Baranovksi said this helps them explain and summarize complicated relationships in a way that is fun.  

"Creativity helps when it comes to developing things. That's why there's a need for people with ideas and not just for those who apply them," pointed out Daniyar Amanaliev, founder of Kyrgyzstan's OLOLO Coworking Network. He said creativity was the most important skill for adapting to a rapidly changing world and for developing solutions for all types of problems. He encouraged young people to read more and to develop soft skills such as self-organization, handling information and data, stress-management, communication skills and the desire to learn. This way, he said, they could then better understand the threats posed by false news and disinformation. 

Critical thinking through education 

The project aims to sharpen people's MIL skills so that they become more aware of the dangers of fake news. The videos are an important step as the images and animations offer viewers a new perspective and explain complex connections more easily. A Media and Information Literacy summer camp for children is now also being planned as are "media corners" for schools.