Episode 1: Whose Truth? The vaccine
How Nobel Prize laureate Katalin Karikó got caught up in the Covid vaccine disinformation wars. What was it like – as someone behind one of the vaccines – to be in the eye of the false information storm? Katalin tells her story to Babita Sharma. And US educator and artist Young Elder tells Babita how she helped to build trust in the vaccine among Baltimore’s black community. She works with Hip Hop Health, an organisation combatting health and vaccine disinformation, started by rapper Doug E Fresh.
Episode 2: Whose truth? Russia vs Ukraine
Can information become a weapon of war? Oleksandra Matviichuk, whose organisation was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, is documenting alleged Russian war crimes against Ukraine. She talks to Babita Sharma about how she uncovers the evidence. Babita also speaks to Anastasiia Romaniuk, a young Ukrainian digital platforms analyst, who is exposing disinformation around the war, and to Lisa Kaplan, founder and CEO of a US company which helps organisations protect themselves from social media manipulation.
Episode 3: Whose truth? Climate change denial
Nobel Prize laureate Sir Paul Nurse wants science, not politics, to guide the debate surrounding climate change. But how do you convince the denialists? Babita Sharma takes us through the evolving strategies of those who claim climate change isn’t real.
And she speaks to two young people who are trying to make a difference. UK climate activist Phoebe L Hanson founded Teach the Teacher, which gives school children the resources to engage with their teachers on climate change. Ugandan Nyombi Morris set up a non-profit organisation, Earth Volunteers, to mobilise young people like him who wanted to promote the fight against the climate crisis.
Episode 4: Whose truth? Online women haters
Attacked on social media – how Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa came under fire for doing her job as a journalist in the Philippines, covering the Presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, and challenging social media companies for spreading disinformation. She talks to Babita Sharma about the fight to stop social media being used to spread lies and hate against powerful women. Babita also speaks to two female digital pioneers. Lucina Di Meco is the co-founder of the California-based group She Persisted, which addresses the digital threat faced by women in politics. Audrey Pe is founder of the non-profit organisation WiTech which aims to inspire young people to use technology to bring positive change.
The series is produced by Ian Rose, Claire Williamson, and Philippa Goodrich for the BBC World Service, in partnership with Nobel Prize Outreach.
Additional digital content includes a video showing what football fans’ support reveals about group bias; and a series of animations with critical thinking tips from Nobel Prize laureates including Claudia Goldin, Maria Ressa, Daniel Kahneman and Saul Perlmutter.
