“Disinformation is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and the only real defence against it is critical thinking.” This is why Fernando Esteves, Director of Polígrafo (the first Portuguese fact-checking newspaper), wants to “equip young people with the right tools to distinguish truth from lies, encourage healthy curiosity, and build trust in fact-based information.”

Partnering with the Gulbenkian Foundation, in a project to fight disinformation, came naturally, as Pedro Calado, Director of the Foundation’s Democracy and Civil Society Programme, believes, following the same reasoning, that “a more informed society is the path to building a more democratic future” and that “strengthening the ecosystem to fight disinformation creates more active citizens, better able to understand and respond to threats that compromise the quality of our democracies.”

This common desire led to the shaping of the “Pinocchio at School” media literacy initiative, which will tour the country in two complementary formats.

Between March and April, a roadshow will travel to nine cities in different regions of the country, with talks and workshops in schools, to help pupils and teachers identify and deconstruct digital disinformation strategies. Free educational tools and materials will be shared in these sessions, enabling a more critical and mindful intake of information, especially from social media.

In parallel, a nationwide competition is underway to challenge secondary school pupils to create original content – texts, videos or through social media pages – to dismantle misleading

narratives that circulate (or have circulated) in the European public space. Submissions are open until 30 May.

The initiative also has the organisational and logistical support of the European Commission Representation in Portugal, the European Parliament Office in Portugal, the National Erasmus+ Youth/Sport Agency, and the European Solidarity Corps.