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Angelina Jolie to Executive Produce ‘BBC My World’ Program to Help Kids Identify Fake News

Angelina Jolie is set to executive produce a new BBC news series called “BBC My World,” which will aim to help kids over the age of 13 determine the authenticity of news reports and (hopefully) weed-out fake news.

The half-hour program, which is described as “explaining the stories behind the news, and providing facts and information for them to make up their own minds about international issues,” will air on BBC World News in the U.S. and globally, the company announced Thursday. The series premieres this Sunday, Jan. 26, at 11:30 a.m. ET, and will continue to air weekly.

The series is a co-production of between Jolie and Microsoft Education. Ultimately, the BBC will have final editorial say over content in the series, which will draw on independent, global reporting from the BBC World Service.

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“As a parent I am happy to be able to give my support to a program that aims to help children learn more about the lives of other young people around the world, and connect to them to each other,” Jolie said in a statement. “I hope it will help children find the information and tools they need to make a difference on the issues that matter to them, drawing on the BBC World Service’s network of thousands of journalists and multiple language services around the world.”

“BBC My World” will air Sundays at 11:30 a.m. ET, and the content will be shared across the World Service’s 42 different language services in countries including the U.S. and Canada. It will also be made available on the “BBC My World” YouTube channel and the BBC iPlayer in the U.K.

“There’s a gap in provision for young people who want to understand how the news is made and the values that stand behind it. They need the tools to distinguish the real from the false online, and the skills to think critically about information, wherever they encounter it,” Jamie Angus, director of the BBC World Service Group, said. “Nurturing these abilities is the aim of ‘My World,’ and they’re crucial for today’s young people, not just for personal development but the future health of global democracy. The BBC World Service is uniquely placed to provide a truly global perspective on the biggest stories and themes of the day.”

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According to the BBC, the program aims to “fill a global gap in reliable and trusted information for young audiences in this age group, who are legally allowed on many social media platforms but poorly served by adult news content, and susceptible to the dangers of poor quality ‘fake news’ and disinformation. They are an age group keen to understand more about how trusted news is made and the values that stand behind it.”

Read original story Angelina Jolie to Executive Produce ‘BBC My World’ Program to Help Kids Identify Fake News At TheWrap