The Mieroszewski Centre, together with the Demagog Association, once again organised the HUMBUG fact-checking workshop series in 2025.
HUMBUG is a training programme for teachers who want to better understand the mechanisms of disinformation and teach young people how to think critically and recognise manipulation.
Zielona Góra, Bydgoszcz, Opole and Białystok — these were the cities that hosted this year’s sessions. Together with teachers from across Poland, we discussed disinformation, manipulation techniques, media literacy and the tools that help build information resilience in schools.
Participants had no doubt — the topic is urgent and essential:
“Media overwhelm us with information, and I can see that it’s not only me who feels this way — my students do as well. I need tools to recognise what is true and what is not.”
“I want children to argue using facts, not slogans they read online.”
During the two-day workshops, participants learned practical methods for working with students, how to verify information online, and how to analyse real examples of disinformation — including those linked to artificial intelligence, the war in Ukraine, and health-related topics.
HUMBUG sessions are not only a space for learning, but also a place for meeting, exchanging experiences and jointly designing educational activities that will later reach schools. As participants summed it up:
“It was a very valuable time. Great energy, good organisation, meaningful conversations.”
The Mieroszewski Centre, together with the Demagog Association, organised a series of Humbug fact-checking workshops for male and female primary and secondary school teachers in 2024.
Through the workshops, educators were equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to develop students' critical thinking skills and assess the credibility of information.
The two-day training took place in four locations in Poland, allowing access for teachers from different regions:
- Olsztyn, 26-27 April 2024
- Katowice, 7-8 June 2024
- Szczecin, 25-26 October 2024
- Rzeszów, 22-23 November 2024.
Topics covered during the training:
- fake news and other types of false information
- reliable sources of information
- fact-checker's toolbox, i.e. verification tools
- how to react to false information in conversation and on the web
- disinformation around the war in Ukraine and the refugee crisis
- how to address disinformation in the classroom - methods and tools
It was a great experience. Thank you for a great atmosphere, wonderful and professional, perfect organisation, taking care of all our needs. Thanks to the workshop with Demagog, I feel equipped with knowledge, new working tools, ideas. I am also charged with the positive energy of networking - new contacts, interesting acquaintances, inspiration, exchange of experiences. It was a great time,
- said one of the participants after the training.
The HUMBUG fact-checking workshops organised by the Mieroszewski Centre and the Demagogue Association are aimed at teachers who want to help their pupils deal with disinformation.
Thanks to them, participants of the first edition in 2023 learned how to recognise disinformation, protect their pupils from the influence of false information and shape critical thinking.
Social media, while serving many positive functions, has become an ideal environment for the spread of disinformation. The rapid flow of information, the lack of verification of content and the so-called information bubbles that segregate our beliefs make it easy to believe false information and share it widely.
During the workshop, male and female teachers learned how to use fact-checking tools and analyse the credibility of information sources. Our aim was to equip participants with the tools to effectively identify disinformation.
In 2023, the workshop was held in Warsaw on two dates: 12 June and 16 October. The project ended with the presentation of certificates, which will certainly be helpful in their future teaching careers.
‘There needs to be more training like this’ - is the opinion of one of the workshop participants.
