The Communications Commission has successfully held the 12^th edition of the media literacy contest “Truth or Fiction?” A total of 215 VIII, IX, X and XI grade pupils from across Georgia took part in the contest. A competent jury panel evaluated the submissions and identified three winners who received high-tech prizes from the Commission. The authors of 20 outstanding submissions also received gift vouchers. According to the rules of the contest, participants were required to identify fake news in the media that had not yet been confirmed as inaccurate. Using the format of their choice, the students then had to explain how they identified the information, present the relevant source and establish real facts surrounding the case. 

The first place in the contest went to Nikoloz Tsverava, an 11^th grade pupil from the Kutaisi School of Physics and Mathematics. His submission concerned an article published by the online media platform World Military about Russian oil trade. To verify the facts in the article, Nikoloz consulted trustworthy sources such as Reuters and found that the article contained fake information. Nikoloz received an iPhone 16 Pro from the Communications Commission. 

The second place went to Mariam Lursmanashvili, a 10^th grade pupil of Public School N175 in Tbilisi, who uncovered disinformation on the media platform CBS News. The article concerned UNRWA agency’s efforts to support Palestinian refugees. Mariam verified the information on the official IDF and BBC websites, finding the facts presented in the article to be untrue. Mariam received a MacBook Air M2 from ComCom. 

The third place went to Mariam Inadze, an 11^th grade pupil of Public School N1 in Bolnisi. Her submission concerned an article published on the website of Sputnik Georgia concerning Georgian wine exports. Mariam first checked the source cited in the article, which was suspicious as it was only three days old. She then verified the information on the GeoStat website and other media platforms, concluding that it was false. She received an iPad Air from the Communications Commission. 

The media literacy contest “Truth or Fiction?” serves to develop analytical, fact-checking and critical thinking skills among young people. The contest has been held eight times for school pupils and four times for university students, with the total number of participants exceeding 1000.