We are thrilled to announce the official launch of the Fact-Checking Academy at the Vienna campus of the Erasmus+ ANALYSIS project! Our exciting initiative, in collaboration with APA – Austria Presse Agentur (alongside Florian Schmidt) and the Department of Communication at University of Vienna (with Sebastian Sherrah and Jakob-Moritz Eberl), aims to empower journalists and journalism students with the tools they need to combat misinformation. This academy is more than just a series of classes—it’s part of a broader effort to build a strong, international community of fact-checkers.
In our first session of Module 1, we welcomed 111 participants who were eager to dive into the principles of fact-checking. The room was packed with both seasoned journalists and students, all of whom were ready to tackle the growing challenge of verifying claims in today’s media landscape. Sebastian Sherrah led this inaugural class, guiding the participants through the core tenets of fact-checking methodology. The session wasn’t just about understanding the technical steps, but also about asking the deeper, often philosophical, questions that underpin the verification process. It was inspiring to witness the energy in the room, as participants engaged with each other and embraced this critical work.
With 111 participants in the first session, we’re off to an amazing start in Vienna, and this is just the beginning! We have a lot more in store, with upcoming sessions that will continue to build on these foundational skills. Most importantly our teams in Portugal and Greece will start their Academies in the upcoming week!
Stay tuned for updates on future modules, where we’ll dive deeper into specialized areas of fact-checking and continue growing our community of dedicated fact-checkers. If you’re curious and want to be part of this journey, you can also enroll in our online modules here.
Together, we can make a difference.
