In the context of the 10th UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week and the Greek Media Literacy Week respectively, that will take place from 24 to 31 October 2021 under the title “Media and Information Literacy for the Public Good”, EKOME, the School of Journalism and Mass Media Studies of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, DCN Global and the Hellenic American Union, co-organize the screening of Roko Belic’ s award-winning documentary «TRUST ME», a production by Getting Better Foundation, aiming to raise public awareness about misinformation in the digital age and critical media literacy. The version with Greek subtitles is provided by EKOME and the School of Journalism and Mass Media Studies of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The screening will take place on Friday, October 22th, at the Hellenic American Union Auditorium at 18:00, with free admission. Q&A will follow, moderated by journalist Fanis Papathanassiou.
Αdmission into the Auditorium is upon presentation of a vaccination or recovery certificate. Use of face masks is mandatory.
Synopsis
TRUST ME (2020) explores why humankind is attracted to stories about violence, how media outlets capitalize on that, and how we gather and share information and misinformation in the digital age. TRUST ME shows how an avalanche of biased news and mis-information is undermining trust in society. This drives fear, which promotes racism, political polarization and mental health disorders. When fear goes up it erodes trust. When people don’t trust each other, they don’t help each other and progress stalls. Sensational media take advantage of our survival instincts to earn more clicks and ad revenue with shocking headlines and we’re enabling them each time we share. TRUST ME uses compelling human stories, facts and experts to show empirical realities and the right way to consume media.
Director’s note
I was born in the United States to parents who had fled communist Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia in the late 1960s. Life in America, they told me, was great because of democracy and freedom. Democracy meant that everyone had a voice, and freedom meant that any subject was fair game for public debate.
Under communism, information came from state-controlled media that, rather than reporting on issues that needed to be addressed and improved, primarily spread propaganda. It’s no wonder that countries without a free and fair press were failing.
But now we have a problem. The internet, while it opened a world of information to billions of people, has enabled an insidious counter-force: the mass dissemination of misinformation (accidental) and disinformation (intentional). Raising my own children in this environment, where most information online has not been vetted by trustworthy sources, where our presidential elections can be manipulated by bad actors, and where the population is increasingly distrustful of all institutions including traditional media, I must do something.
TRUST ME, our feature documentary film, is that thing. I’ve combined a lifetime of research and travel experiences with the participation of experts in media literacy, journalism and fake news, to create a film that will stimulate public debate so we can fix these problems.
Additional information
- The film “TRUST ME” has an international distribution, thanks to the success of its award-winning and Oscar-nominated for his film HAPPY (2012) director, Roko Belic.
- It is produced by Getting Better Foundation, an organization that aims to create trust through truth. For this reason, it designs and implements educational activities for the public, with the help of researchers and scientists who are passionate supporters of truth.
- Educational DVDs, links and educational guides for schools, universities, parents and governments will be created to help start a discussion about trust in the Media and build a more informed population.TRUST ME will meet its audience at various film festivals and awards ceremonies around the world.
Festival Awards (Best Documentary):
- Flickers’ Rhode Island Int. Film Festival – Providence, Rhode Island
- Montana Int. Film Festival (MINT) – Billings, Montana
- IndieFEST Film Awards – La Jolla, California
- Alexandria Film Festival – Alexandria, Virginia (Joe Cantwell Excellence in Documentary Award)
Watch the trailer here.