From bank scams and the Covid-19 infodemic to disinformation campaigns on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, we are besieged by false information. Governments, technology companies, academics and practitioners face the never-ending task of developing and refreshing their measures to tackle falsehoods in myriad forms and contexts. 

There is broad consensus among policymakers, practitioners and academics that promoting digital literacy is the long-term strategy to strengthen people's resilience against falsehoods. Given people's varying needs and abilities, the design and delivery of digital literacy campaigns matter as much as the content that is being taught to them. 

As part of the final phase of a study on Singaporeans and false information, we conducted an experiment to look at ways of better delivering digital literacy content. We collaborated with the National Library Board to test its S.U.R.E. (Source, Understand, Research, Evaluate) framework which was launched in 2013 to promote the "importance of information searching and discernment to the general public". The framework boils down to four things - check the source, understand the information, do deeper research and evaluate the information critically. S.U.R.E is delivered in three ways - a slideshow with a talking head, an animated video with narration, and an infographic. 

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Carol Soon is senior research fellow and head of the society and culture department at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), National University of Singapore. Nandhini Bala Krishnan is a research assistant at IPS. Shawn Goh is a Master of Science candidate at the Oxford Internet Institute. 

Top photo from Freepik.