Angelina Jolie and the BBC teamed up to give teenage viewers real tools to combat fake news.
The Hollywood star will executive produce a new weekly half-hour series for the BBC, entitled ”BBC My World.” They target children over 13 years of age and teach them to become media literate and make their minds on hot international issues.
The series features the reporting of the BBC World Service. It is a co-production with Jolie and Microsoft Education, BBC said, highlighting that it will retain final editorial approval of the content.
The show will air on Sunday mornings on BBC World News, the broadcaster said, adding that it would be available in 42 languages. Teenagers can also follow it on YouTube or BBC iPlayer.
Angelina Jolie said in a statement that as a parent, she is happy to support an educational program focused on improving media literacy among young people.
She also hoped to help children from all over the world find the information they need on a different issue and equip them with the necessary skills to spot fake news. The actress claimed she was proud to become part of the BBC World Service’s network.
Jamie Angus, director of BBC World Service Group, commented that the industry lacks provisions for your people who want to understand how news is made and what kind of values stay behind them.
In Angus’s view, the teenage viewers nowadays need adequate tools to distinguish the real from the false online, as well as the skills to evaluate critically any information they come across online.
The main aim of ”My World” is to nurture these abilities, Angus said, highlighting that they are vital for today’s adolescents, not for their personal development but also ”the future health of global democracy.”
Angus noted that the BBC World Service has the capabilities to provide a global perspective on the most significant issues and themes of the day.
Radzi Chinyanganya, currently presenting for BBC Sport, and a former presenter for the BBC’s children program ”Blue Peter” and Nomia Iqbal, who anchors BBC Asian Network’s arts and culture show the Big Debate,” will anchor the new program.
In one of the episodes, Chinyanganya examines video manipulation and gets ”deepfaked.” In another one, Iqbal goes to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil to investigate whether it can survive an onslaught from the fires and the oil and mineral extraction.
Each episode features a learning segment, Angus said, adding that the lessons’ plans will be made available through Microsoft Education.
What do you think? Do you believe that Angelina Jolie‘s initiative will have positive results?