Today, a groundbreaking European project aimed at tackling the growing threats of misinformation and disinformation in rural areas and among older people is officially launched. POP (Promoting Opportunities to Propel European Media Literacy Education Among Rural Communities and Older Adults) is a cross-border initiative designed to bring much-needed media literacy education to under-served populations in Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Germany.
The POP project, co-funded by the European Union, is a collaboration among six European organizations with a shared commitment to fostering critical thinking, improving digital skills, and increasing resilience against misleading information. Through a series of innovative “pop-up” media literacy events that will take place in 2027, the project will engage local communities with hands-on, gamified, and interactive educational experiences.
The POP project’s cross-border approach ensures that the materials and methods developed will be adaptable to various European contexts. The materials will be multilingual, enabling the project to reach broader audiences and ensure that the lessons learned can be replicated across the continent.
By empowering older people and rural communities with the tools to navigate the digital landscape critically, the POP project will contribute to a more resilient, informed, and active European society. Through a series of engaging communications campaigns, the project will raise awareness of the importance of media literacy, ultimately fostering better civic participation and stronger democracy.
The challenge: disinformation in rural communities and among older people
Europe is facing a growing challenge: disinformation and fake news are spreading rapidly through digital platforms, posing significant threats to public health, democratic processes, and trust in institutions. In 2025, more than a third of EU citizens (36%) reported being exposed “often” or “very often” to disinformation or fake news in the past seven days. Additionally, when including those who said they were exposed “sometimes,” the figure rises to two-thirds of the population (66%). The situation is even more concerning when examining the digital skills gap: only 33% of people aged 65-74 have basic digital skills, increasing their vulnerability to misleading content. Furthermore, in 2023, in 13 EU countries, less than half of the adult population in rural areas had basic digital skills, which limits the ability of residents in these areas to assess the reliability of online information. These factors, and limited access to reliable news sources due to the crisis of local journalism, place older people and residents of rural communities in a particularly vulnerable position when it comes to disinformation.
That is why POP will:
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Develop and deliver innovative media literacy resources tailored to rural populations and older people.
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Provide interactive, engaging learning opportunities through pop-up events in 20 rural communities across Europe.
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Train local community workers and educators through a "Training of Trainers" program to ensure sustainable media literacy efforts long after the project ends.
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Raise awareness about the critical role of media literacy in safeguarding democratic participation and fostering informed decision-making.
The approach: Pop-Up Media Literacy events
The POP project will host two-day media literacy events in rural European communities during Spring 2027, where participants will engage in a combination of educational activities:
1.Media Literacy Information Points (MIPs): Physical stations staffed by experts where individuals can get personalized media literacy support, learn to recognize misleading information, and take away helpful resources.
2. Interactive Gameshow Workshops: Gamified, fun workshops using familiar formats to teach participants how to critically engage with information, especially related to health, climate, AI, and scams.
3. Training of Trainers: Community workers and local educators will be trained to continue media literacy efforts after the pop-up events, ensuring that the impact is sustainable and scalable.
A Collaborative European Effort
POP brings together a diverse group of partners from across Europe, each contributing unique expertise and local knowledge:
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Fundación Maldita.es (Spain): Coordinating the project and leading the development of educational content, with a proven track record in protecting the integrity of information and promoting public trust through journalism, education, technology, research, and public policy.
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Correctiv (Germany): a media house oriented towards the public good, that strengthens democracy through journalism, media education, and technology. With their experience in providing arguments and methods for all those who want to participate in shaping their environment, CORRECTIV will lead the workshops in Germany.
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The Fact-Checking Factory (Italy): two Italian sister fact-checking organizations dedicated to countering misinformation, while also promoting media literacy and critical thinking through public education initiatives. They will be leading the project’s activities in Italy.
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Faktograf (Croatia): A key player in Croatia’s fight against disinformation, leading the development of localized media literacy workshops and resources in their country.
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Fundación HelpAge International España (Spain): Providing expertise on the specific needs of older people and ensuring the project’s relevance to this demographic.
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Prodigioso Volcán (Spain): Leading the creative direction and communication strategy, ensuring that the project’s educational materials are engaging and accessible.
What will Fundación Maldita.es do?
As coordinating entity, Fundación Maldita.es will be responsible for the overall management and coordination of the consortium, ensuring the technical, financial and strategic implementation of the project throughout its 24-month duration. It will also lead the design of the methodological framework for the Media Literacy Pop-Ups and contribute to the development of the educational materials and the POP Toolkit, which will allow the initiative to be replicated in other European territories.
Maldita.es will implement the project activities in Spain, working especially with rural communities and people over 50, and will coordinate the European communication and visibility strategy to maximise the project’s impact and dissemination of results. POP builds on Maldita.es’ previous experience with the BuloBus project, which delivered media literacy workshops in rural municipalities across Spain.
How much funding will Fundación Maldita.es receive?
POP is a project co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe Programme (Call CREA-CROSS-2025-MEDIALITERACY). The total project budget amounts to €713,174.26, with total EU funding of €499,221.99 (70% of the total budget).
The total budget allocated to Fundación Maldita.es within the project is €158,985.95, of which the EU will contribute €111,290.17 (70%).
The views and opinions expressed in this note are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union.