The IJA Academy, the educational platform of the International Journalists Association (IJA), held the first event of its new TruthLab Talks series on Saturday, January 24, in Mainz. The event was organized as part of TruthLab, a project supported by the European Union.
The opening session featured journalist, historian, and content creator Mirko Drotschmann, widely known as “MrWissen2go,” who met with young participants to discuss disinformation and its impact on society.
Approximately 60 people, most of them young attendees, participated in the event held at Bürgerhaus Hechtsheim. The program began with a brief introduction to the TruthLab project, the activities of the IJA Academy, and the guest speaker, followed by Drotschmann’s presentation.
The Anatomy of Disinformation
In his talk, Drotschmann explained how false information is produced, the methods used to spread it, and who benefits from disinformation, illustrating his points with concrete examples. He also introduced digital tools, applications, and practical techniques for identifying false information and emphasized why media literacy is more critical than ever.
The presentation, supported by real-life cases and visual examples, attracted strong interest from the audience. Participants followed the session closely, took notes, and documented the event through photos and videos.
During the question-and-answer session, participants asked how disinformation can be confronted in everyday life, how content encountered on social media can be verified, and what responsibilities journalists carry in this process. The interactive discussion proved to be one of the most productive parts of the program.
Through its TruthLab Talks series, the IJA Academy aims to strengthen critical thinking and media literacy by bringing together journalists, young people, and media users. The first event in Mainz marked an important starting point for the continuation of the series.