Facts in Focus: Combating Fake News Through the Artists’ Lens
July 3, 2023
Meta presents Facts In Focus – a collection of artwork from local artists and creators in Lithuania, Slovakia and Bulgaria, designed to help people identify and respond to misinformation.
At Meta, we believe that visual art can be a powerful tool for understanding complex societal challenges, such as misinformation. That is why we have asked illustrators and graphic artists from Central and Eastern Europe to use their art to empower people to decide for themselves what to read, trust and share – both online and offline.
Scroll down to view the artwork.
Our Work to Combat Misinformation
At Meta, we are taking aggressive steps to combat it on our platforms.
We remove misinformation when it violates our policies. This includes the most serious kinds of misinformation, such as content that could lead to imminent violence or physical harm.
For all other types of misinformation, we focus on slowing the spread so fewer people see it and directing people to information from authoritative sources. To do this, we work with 90 independent third-party fact-checking organisations across the globe – the largest fact-checking programme of any platform. In Central and Eastern Europe alone we work with more than 20 fact-checking partners.
When our fact-checking partners rate a piece of content as false, we show it lower in Feeds so that fewer people see it; notify people who share the content — or who have previously shared it — that the information is false; and apply a warning label that links to the fact-checker’s article disproving the claim.
Read more about Meta’s approach to misinformation here, and remember these tips for how to spot false news.
Bulgaria
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Teodor Hristov
Sometimes news hits you with tragic and shocking information. My animated loop shows how exclamation points in headlines can be a sign of fake news.
Figen Demireva
Misinformation in our society has been getting harder to navigate. Every day we come across stories that sound unbelievable. In my work, I illustrate how important it is to be skeptical of headlines. If shocking claims in the headline sound unbelievable, they probably are.
Tochka Ilieva
We are responsible for learning how to decide what we read and trust. Staying informed about the sources of information we consume and share will make us a healthier community.
Borislava Karadjova
When reading news, think about the source of the articles, consider whether the photos are manipulated, and check alternative sources of information. It can be challenging but it helps us to decide what to trust.
Vyara Boyadjieva
There is a Bulgarian expression which goes: “It is sewed with a white thread”, meaning that it is a lie, which stands out the same way as a white thread would on a darker fabric. I illustrated this metaphor to remind people that paying close attention to details when reading news is necessary, and if something looks suspicious, verifying it before trusting the source would be wise. I’d suggest to look closely at the link, inspect the dates, and watch for unusual formatting. I think that reading with care will help you see the signs of false news!
Radoslav Kuzmanov (Epic Bath Guy)
My photo is a humorous reminder for all the people who tend to believe everything they read online and offline, often falling victim to clickbait and sensational news. My advice to all – use critical thinking before trusting the facts, check sources and consider – Is the story simply a joke?
Lithuania
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Jolita Vaitkute
Knowing how to combat fake news is a crucial skill for all of us. It’s critical to check the sources of information, keep in mind that some parts of it could be accurate, but some misleading. My work with anamorphic-style art pieces tries to capture the complexity of false news. Sometimes you need to see a different perspective to understand the reality.
Robertas Neve
This artwork reflects a part of myself. Being a computer nerd with a passion for delving deep into information, I scrutinize sketchy news headlines. I often feel like a ‘Fake News Sherlock,’ attempting to unravel the truth. Critical thinking skills are especially valuable when I’m creating social commentary cartoons about real-life events. Remembering about signals that help identify stories that may be false is handy when in constant touch with information flow!
Algirdas and Remigijus Gataveckai
Have you noticed that the words FLEAS and FALSE are anagrams? So are the words NEWS and SEWN! False news acts like a parasite that spreads quickly, ‘creeping into people’, influencing human behavior and leading to unwanted consequences. To help reduce the spread of false news – keep an eye on small details and think before you share it!
Linas Kaziulionis
In my work, I often use appropriation, where I mix classical art pieces with 21st-century attributes. It is in this work that we see an interpretation of James McNeill Whistler’s painting “Whistler’s Mother” – it helps to capture the attention of a mass audience, both young and old. I invite you to think about how we consume data and information and that we never know all the truth, but we can always be aware and learn to select and verify messages in the media.
Antanas Dubra
Sometimes the truth is duller than fiction. Sensational things catch our eye, often provoking strong emotions and reactions we immediately want to share further. The challenge we face is to remember to stop, take a breath and look closer at facts before calling it truth.
Agnė Kišonaitė
In the realm of modern media, distorted reflections abound. Beware of getting lost! In my work I want to highlight the importance of critical thinking – a map that helps to distinguish truth from illusion.
Slovakia
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Martin Hirner (Doketv)
I find it important to talk about ways of recognizing false news. My artwork expresses how I perceive the complexity of the information flow in today’s world and the importance of uncovering facts and stories that are not credible or intentionally false.
Barbora Idesová
We have all at some point read articles published with the aim of raising a sense of fear, to shock or invite curiosity. Such stories are often made up, sound bizarre or almost make no sense. While shocking headlines are attractive and it is tempting to follow those links, think twice before clicking!
Dávid Soboň
It means a lot to me to express myself artistically on a matter of learning how to fight false news. I am very familiar with the feeling of growing anxiety about not knowing what news to trust. It is helpful to remember possible indicators of misleading stories. Catchy headlines, over-exaggerated claims, suspicious sources and authors, bad grammar and unconfirmed evidence are some of the clear signs that will help you decide whether to trust that information.
Bessa (Barbora Kmecova)
My illustrations show the daily flood of information we face every day. We hear from conspirators or come across misinformation that may seem harmless or lead to dangerous consequences. To stay safe remember to be skeptical, pay attention to detail and study the photos for signs of inauthenticity or manipulation.
Matej Ilčík
Sometimes you come across content that looks shocking at a first glance. I drew this comic strip-like illustration to depict how absurd and misleading an image can look when the full context is missing. Not to be fooled, here is my advice – always look for more context and search for the photo or image to verify where it came from.
Alica Kucharovič
There is a bridge in Bratislava that everyone knows and calls the UFO. In my sketch I am showing a shocked person watching the news report about the bridge being attacked by Godzilla, while the window view shows that nothing like that is actually happening. Through this illustration, I want to remind how quickly we tend to trust the source, while often the revealing evidence is so near.