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At a time when digital content creators have become a major source of information, a new UNESCO survey revealed that 62% of digital content creators do not carefully and systematically verify information before sharing it. However, 73% of them expressed a desire to receive the necessary training. According to the UN Daily News Bulletin, a copy of which we received today, Thursday, it added, "
In response to this challenge, UNESCO launched the first global training course of its kind this month, in which more than 9,000 participants from 160 countries have already registered.
The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, said: "Digital content creators have become an important part of the information ecosystem, interacting with millions of people in cultural, social and political fields. But they face challenges in confronting disinformation and hate speech online. As part of its mandate to promote media and information literacy, UNESCO will support them through the first global training course of its kind.
“Behind the Screens” Study Reveals Practices and Challenges
The UNESCO “Behind the Screens” study is the first global analysis of its kind that sheds light on the motivations, practices and challenges of digital content creators. The study included 500 influencers in 45 countries, and was conducted in collaboration with a specialized research team from Bowling Green State University in the United States.
The study showed that fact-checking is not a common practice among content creators. 42% of respondents rely on “the number of likes and shares” as a main indicator of the credibility of information, while 21% use information they received “from friends they trust”, and 19% rely on the “reputation” of the original author or publisher of the content.
Journalists can be a great source of support for content creators in verifying information, but cooperation between the two parties remains limited. In addition, the study showed that traditional media comes in third place (36.9%) as a source of information for content creators, after their own experiences and their research.
Lack of awareness of rights and responsibilities
The study showed that 59% of digital content creators are either uninformed or have superficial knowledge of the regulatory frameworks and international standards related to digital communications. Only 56.4% are aware of training programs directed at them, and of these, only 13.9% have participated in such programs.

This lack of awareness exposes content creators to a state of legal ambiguity, making them vulnerable to legal prosecution in some countries, and preventing them from protecting their rights when they themselves are victims of illegal practices online. For example, about a third of content creators (32.3%) reported that they had been subjected to hate speech, but only 20.4% reported these cases to the social platform.

Global training course to address the challenges
In response to the desire of 73% of participants to receive training, UNESCO collaborated with the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas to develop the first global training course that will last for a month. This course aims to provide content creators with the necessary knowledge to confront disinformation and hate speech, and enhance their understanding of international standards for freedom of expression and information. The content was developed in partnership with media and information experts and a group of prominent global influencers, to reflect the reality faced by digital content creators.

The course, which recently began, will run for four weeks, with more than 9,000 participants from 160 countries. Participants receive training on using diverse sources to obtain information, evaluating and verifying it, and being transparent about their sources.

They also learn to identify and refute misinformation and hate speech, and to collaborate with journalists to promote the dissemination of accurate information. After the course, UNESCO will work to build a community that shares good practices and promotes information integrity, while raising awareness among content creators.