Good information for good causes

Today, everyone is talking about the great flow of information and the noise of misleading or fake news. What does this mean for the work of organizations with causes?

In the age of disinformation, even the best-trained and well-educated professionals can fall into the trap of delusion and compromise their good image or harm an otherwise meaningful idea by following and disseminating unverified and manipulative facts. That is why knowing the basic principles of fact-checking and working with quality sources of information is crucial not only for journalists but also for professionals in the civil sector.

Our partners from AEJ-Bulgaria have dedicated a large part of their work to the correct retransmission of information and have developed a special Guide for verifying the facts in a digital environment, which will be introduced to the participants in the webinar. We will also discuss specific cases from our practices, presenting good and bad examples of handling information and sources beyond journalism.

Moreover, in today's communication environment, the conversation with our supporters and followers goes beyond expertise. It is based on telling stories that give face to our work and help us connect with the communities that support us. As representatives of the civil sector, it is our duty to do so in the most balanced, ethical and professional way, while conveying emotion to the causes we pursue. We will comment on approaches to achieving this goal and focus on useful practical tips for working with the media.

In this conversation we will explore together issues such as:

• Sources of information - where are they, how do we check their authenticity, how are they cited?
• Creating your own information resources - what they should look like to inspire confidence in their expertise
• The balance between sharing sensitive personal stories and defending a cause when working with the media
• Ethics and the fight against fake news and hate speech

Participants:

Maria Cheresheva and Ivan Radev, Association of European Journalists - Bulgaria

Maria Cheresheva is a member of the Management Board and one of the founders of the Association of European Journalists - Bulgaria (AEJ). Freelance journalist. She started her career in 2008 in the European portal of Dnevnik.bg, and since then she has worked with numerous Bulgarian and international publications. Among them are Balkan Insight, OCCRP, ZDF, Deutsche Welle, BBC, Ethical Journalism Network and others. Her work focuses on topics such as migration, human rights, social and political issues.

Ivan Radev is a member of the Management Board of the Association of European Journalists-Bulgaria and leader of the project "Media Literacy in the Classroom". He has over 10 years of journalistic practice. Ivan graduated in Balkan Studies at Sofia University and closely monitors the development of societies in Southeast Europe. He speaks Romanian and for five years has been a correspondent for Bulgaria for the Romanian national news agency Agerpress.

The Association of European Journalists - Bulgaria is a professional community of journalists, part of the Association of European Journalists, an independent observer at the Council of Europe. Currently, more than 100 journalists from all over the country are members of the organization. Our goal is to take care of improving the media environment and the quality of journalism in Bulgaria and to support journalists who are prevented from doing their job (freely).

Teodora Ivanova-Valeva,Impact Drive

Her professional life has long been associated with project management and organizational development, as well as the design and management of grant schemes and programs. He works for a short time in public authorities and private management consulting, but finds passion and meaning in working in the non-governmental sector and people working for causes. He is very interested in how to be effective, influential and successful in their missions. The activity in support of the organizations is related to participation in projects, mentoring, assistance in creating fundraising and business plans, organizational, communication and management strategies, lectures, consulting and others.