On April 20, undergraduate students of the Department of Journalism of FPSC SSU took part in the webinar “Information War: to win can not be lost” from the Educational Center of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Future journalists, advertisers and PR specialists have deepened their knowledge and gained additional experience in counteracting information agitation, in analyzing enemy content, in recognizing and refuting fake news, etc. This practical lesson took place as part of the study of the discipline “World Media Systems” (Associate Professor Iyina Zhylenko).
– Today, in the conditions of hostilities, we are fighting not only on land, in the air and at sea, but also in the information space. The information war does not kill us physically, but it can do so psychologically and morally, – said Olena Kostyniuk, head of the Educational Center of the Verkhovna Rada.
The main speaker of the webinar is Anastasia Kovalevska-Slavova, Doctor of Philology, Associate Professor of the Ukrainian Language Department of Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University – stressed that the information war began a long time ago, and right now Ukrainians are in its most acute phase. She spoke about tactics to minimize and neutralize the effects of pro-russian media weapons and stressed that blocking enemy channels is not a universal means of combating misinformation, as we need to understand how the enemy thinks. Instead, she suggested asking analytical questions, using facts, and not appealing to emotions, but proving the falsity of the initial information.
Anastasia Kovalevskaya-Slavova is absolutely sure that Ukraine will win the information war, but reminded of the importance of filtering information:
– If we are experiencing an emotion such as betrayal or an emotion “Oh my God!”, we need to think about where this information came from, why we feel such an emotion and what the author wanted to say. Understanding how to counter the invasion of the enemy's information field, how to explain events to my fellow citizens, how to react, I am absolutely sure that we will win the information war.
After the webinar, students shared their impressions:
– The topic of the webinar is really relevant. It is necessary to analyze the actions of the enemy in any field, especially in information. It is worth keeping your head cool, not giving in to emotions and understanding why this or that news was published, – says student Anna Tolstosheeva.
– Today we see with our own eyes the destructive power of fakes. They break up families, set former friends against each other. Many have already been guarded. Our job as journalists is to fight hostile disinformation. This is exactly what we talked about at the webinar, – Yulia Shumylo noted.
Olexiy Tucha emphasized:
– The fight against misinformation has been, is and remains important in today's world. Unfortunately, there are more and more fakes every day, and it is more and more difficult to counteract them. Therefore, such webinars are definitely needed. They provide and systematize the knowledge people need, helping them to remain competent in the information space.
In general, practical training of specialists at the Department of Journalism and Philology FPSC SSU - a priority component of the educational process. Teachers, students and employers understand our philosophy – #Mediaspace_leads_to_the_universe.