Gong Training in Poreč: How to Distinguish Credible Information from False Content
Published Monday 6 July 2026 at 22:41
Although they regularly keep up with changes in the field of information and media, teachers from Istria County acknowledge that it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine what is fake and what is authentic content. This is one of the reasons why they decided to take part in a media literacy training organised by Gong.
The training was held on 2 and 3 July at Mate Balota Secondary School in Poreč, and brought together teachers of Croatian language, foreign languages, History and Informatics.
On the first day of the training, the focus was on understanding the media, their role in a democratic society and the changes brought about by the digital environment. The participants were introduced to the key components of media literacy and the state of media education in Croatia. Through discussion and practical examples, they analysed how the media system functions, what types of media exist, who the key actors in the media sphere are, and why professional reporting standards are important for quality public information.
During the first day, participants also discussed media habits and new forms of content consumption on digital platforms. The discussion addressed the role of influencers, the relationship between authenticity and marketing, and the growing influence of social media on the way citizens access information. The first day concluded with topics related to the crisis of journalism, political and advertising pressures, the click-driven media environment, and the influence of digital platform owners on public opinion and freedom of expression.
The second day of the training focused on the critical reading of media content and the challenges of the contemporary information environment. Participants explored issues of trust and distrust in the media, the differences between disinformation, misinformation and fake news, as well as ways of recognising manipulative and unreliable content.
An important part of the second day was dedicated to artificial intelligence and its impact on information. Participants discussed how AI is changing the public sphere, how to distinguish authentic content from generated content, and who creates and shapes news in the digital age.
“Gong’s two-day media literacy training, held as part of the County Expert Council for Croatian Language Teachers in Poreč, had every chance of becoming just another one of those long and boring lectures we are already used to during professional development. However, our lecturers made sure that the training was not only useful and educational, but also dynamic, interesting and creative. Over the two days, we solved tasks, listened to advice, talked, shared opinions and experiences, all of which were excellently moderated and organised by Lucija and Milica. In the end, we parted full of impressions and new knowledge, hoping that we will have the opportunity to learn from one another again,” said Laura Krajčar, a teacher from Poreč.
The training was delivered by Gong educators Milica Bogdanović and Lucija Dumančić Jovanović.
The workshop was organised within the framework of the Adria Digital Media Observatory 2.0 (ADMO). ADMO is a multidisciplinary hub for fact-checking and researching disinformation narratives in the digital environment, as well as for promoting and providing education in media and digital literacy. Led by the University of Dubrovnik, ADMO 2.0 brings together nine partner organisations from Croatia, Slovenia and France: the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Zagreb, Gong, RTL Croatia, Presscut d.o.o., the University of Ljubljana, Oštro Slovenia, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and XWiki.
