Prebunking the Future: How KRO-NCRV is arming Gen Z against Fake News
In an age where artificial intelligence can generate large amounts of content in only seconds, fake news spreads faster than ever before. Experts estimate that by 2026, 90% of online content will be AI generated, making fact-checking more essential than ever. For Gen Z'ers, who primarily consume news trough social media platforms such as TikTok, and often distrust traditional journalism, the challenge of navigating fake news is even bigger. How can we arm Gen Z against fake news? Dutch media company, KRO-NCRV, may have found the answer to this question with their initiative of prebunking.
Prebunking?
The Prebunking initiative focuses on countering the spread of fake news through a preemptive approach, before it takes hold and radicalizes people. It exposes the tactics behind misinformation and helps people develop a mental ‘bullsh*t detector’ — psychological antibodies that make them more resistant to manipulation in the future. Prebunking encourages critical thinking by prompting questions like, "Am I aware of my own confirmation bias? And why do I actually believe this?" Unlike debunking, which focuses on fact-checking after misinformation has spread, prebunking aims to build resilience before falsehoods can take root.
From TikTok to Television: A 360-degree strategy
KRO-NCRV created 12 prebunking videos in the run-up to the Dutch and European elections, which specifically appealed to Gen Z. These videos were distributed across a 360-degree media strategy: covering TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and non-skippable ads on YouTube.
Initially, not all feedback was positive. Viewers criticized the lack of expert input, insufficient context and the flashy design that resembled fake news. In response, adjustments were made by the development team, and the next videos included more facts, added context and an upgraded design.
Despite the initial challenges of creating informative content with enough context in under a minute, the results were promising. The videos have approximately 3 million views, and a high engagement from users aged 18-34, especially on TikTok. And most importantly, a survey with 250 Gen Z respondents showed that they feel more protected against misinformation after watching the prebunking videos.
Next Steps
Because of these outcomes and the positive responses from European partners, KRO-NCRV aims to explore additional prebunking efforts. The next step is to develop a platform where Gen Z can not only watch prebunking videos, but also access additional tools such as a prebunking chatbot to support Gen Z’s ability to fact-check information.
