News offerings loyal to the Kremlin and self-proclaimed “alternative media” that spread pro-Russian propaganda and targeted disinformation online are of no use to the majority of Germans. This is the conclusion of a new survey by the digital association BITKOM among 1,004 people in Germany aged 16 and over.

Volodymyr Zelenskyj shared

Four percent of respondents consider Russian media to be trustworthy when it comes to the veracity of information about the war in Ukraine. Three percent say this about the Russian government. In return, 87 percent consider the Russian government to be little or untrustworthy and 80 percent say this about Russian media.

Conversely, the Ukrainian government (78 percent) and the Ukrainian media (70 percent) are trusted by a significantly larger proportion of those surveyed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in particular takes to social media almost daily to share his perspective on the war against his country.

Media competence is required

“The illegal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is accompanied by a massive disinformation campaign with which the Kremlin wants to have a destabilizing effect and deliberately create false narratives in Western countries. The vast majority of people do not trust Russian media. However, many people do not recognize the numerous content and posts that can be traced back directly or indirectly to the Kremlin as such. It is becoming increasingly important and urgent to develop media literacy across the entire spectrum of society.”

Media literacy is important across the entire spectrum of society.

72 percent of Germans are worried about the spread of fake news on the social web about the war in Ukraine. 57 percent find it difficult to correctly classify information about the war in Ukraine and 62 percent of Internet users check the trustworthiness of a source before sharing information online.

“Internet users must be empowered to critically evaluate information and recognize possible false information themselves. Politics should also start here and ensure that the ability to critically examine sources is better taught. Media literacy must be a central component of the education system. Those who critically question the credibility of sources and know how to check them are less susceptible to dangerous false news, especially in times of war.”

Bitkom Managing Director Dr. Bernhard Rohleder

Source: Press release , BITKOM

This might also be of interest: Russia is deceiving with an alleged pro-Ukrainian app


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