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SNP MP launches young persons disinformation contest

SNP MP, Stewart McDonald, has today launched a competition for young people across Scotland to submit short videos on the impact that disinformation has had on them.

The competition, which runs until 31 January 2022, asks young people aged 16-30 to put together a 6 minute video on how disinformation has affected them and their peers. It also encourages them to share their own policy ideas on how disinformation can best be tackled. The winning entry will win £100 and have their video published.

The SNP MP has been undertaking work to try to tackle the problem of disinformation and published a paper, Disinformation in Scottish Public Life, last year. In the paper, McDonald offers his own assessment of the problem in Scotland and proposed possible policy solutions.

Commenting SNP MP Stewart McDonald said:

"Disinformation can be seen everywhere - conspiracy theories spreading across WhatsApp groups and private Facebook pages to political disinformation weaponised by hostile foreign actors.

"In 2022, it is clear just how widespread and growing a problem disinformation is for every society. It threatens every part of our lives, from our democracy to our national security, and it needs to be addressed by the people in power.

"We know that it is young people who are so often the target of disinformation, but we also know they are often the most resilient to it too. This is exactly why I am launching this Disinformation Video Contest for young people.

"I am certain that young people can help us tackle disinformation and build up national information resilience against it.

"I am very much looking forward to seeing the entries, the discussions that come from them and using this as a basis for future work to find solutions to tackle the threat that disinformation poses to us all."

Competition details below:

• Entrants should be aged 16-30 years old.
• The deadline is midday on 31st January 2022.
• The winner will be announced on February 7th 2022. They will receive £100 and videos will be published on Stewart McDonald’s website and social media channels.
• Videos can be emailed, along with a 100 word biography, to stewart.mcdonald.mp@parliament.uk or sent via WeTranfer at stewartmcdonaldmp.wetransfer.com