In the latest episode of “Breaking Media – Macht.Medien.Kompetenz.”, the publicly accessible media competence format takes a look at a highly topical issue: the spread of fake news, false reports, and deep fakes. The episode, which aired on February 21, 2026, and is already available on Joyn, “Breaking Media: Beware of Fake News!” looks at how disinformation works, the differences between targeted false reports and manipulative content, and how users can better protect themselves – an essential question in times of digital information overload.
In conversation with host Gundula Geiginger and Corinna Milborn, Martin Boyer, Senior Research Engineer and Thematic Coordinator in the competence unit of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence at the Center for Digital Safety & Security, places a clear focus on the technical and social aspects of digital disinformation. Together, they discuss how modern technologies contribute to the detection of manipulated content and what responsibility both platforms and individual users bear to ensure the integrity of information.
Boyer brings his many years of research experience to the table: with his team he has been working for many years on algorithms and methods for identifying and analyzing deepfakes, media manipulation, and digital misinformation. In addition, he coordinates national and EU-funded projects such as defame Fakes and the German-Austrian Digital Media Observatory (GADMO), which develop and advance technologies for detecting and classifying manipulated content.
In the magazine, Boyer links his expertise to the practical question of how media literacy can be strengthened in everyday life: How can I distinguish reliable information from misleading information? What role does artificial intelligence play in evaluating news? Answers to these questions should help viewers improve their digital self-determination and deal with media content more critically.
See the full interview here.