In today’s world of diverse information, the battle against false information and fake news has become increasingly fierce. Society is weakening amidst an ongoing information war. Within this fragility, youth stand as seeds of hope — ready to grow into a new foundation for society, not only as media-literate individuals but also as fact-checkers and sharers.
August 8, 2025 – The long-awaited Thai PBS Verify Youth Camp: Developing Critical Thinkers to Defeat Fake News, Gen 1 officially kicks off.
The first official day of activities kicked off in an atmosphere filled with excitement and positive energy from the participating youth, who arrived with hope, inspiration, and eagerness to learn — driven by their desire to become media-savvy and help make the world of information a better place.
August 8, 2025 – The First Day of “Thai PBS Verify Youth Camp: Developing Critical Thinkers to Defeat Fake News, Gen 1”
Participants’ Expectations
Tiranat Kittisattho, a student from Sangkeet Wittaya Secondary School, shared that in a world where fake news is widespread across social media, his expectation from this program is to learn how to properly verify information. He explained that even though we often receive information from official news outlets, it’s not always easy to know how trustworthy those sources truly are. Therefore, he hopes to develop his own fact-checking skills through this project.
“Journalists should also look at the whole picture and verify information carefully to ensure credibility. Sometimes we don’t know how much the media has filtered the information, so we need to do our own filtering again to determine whether the information can really be trusted.
Tiranat Kittisattho, a student from Sangkeet Wittaya School
Tiranat said that “I hope to gain more knowledge about media production — to learn about camera angles, news and content creation, as well as various techniques.”
Phumipat Dandecha, from Suan Kularb Wittayalai Rangsit School, added:
“I expect this program will help me improve my video editing skills.”
Phumipat Dandecha, from Suan Kularb Wittayalai Rangsit School
Additionally, Panita Juanjankit, from Horwang School said, “I hope to gain valuable experience as a young person and to share this perspective with others — to let people know that we all have the ability to verify information ourselves.”
Panita Juanjankit, from Horwang School
Teachers’ Expectations
Voices from teachers who support and encourage youth participation in the Thai PBS Verify Youth Camp: Developing Critical Thinkers to Defeat Fake News reflect high hopes for the program. Even though this is the first year of the camp, teachers expect it to broaden students’ horizons, provide new experiences, and teach important skills beyond the classroom.
Netchanok Saekhu, a teacher from Assumption Thonburi School, noted that in an era where information is heavily influenced by AI technology, children have rapid access to media content. What worries teachers is that they cannot access information as quickly as the students, making it difficult to verify whether the information students receive is accurate.
“Even though the new generation is tech-savvy, most students don’t verify the information they find. When working with AI to search for information, sometimes the results they get are false, and there is no fact-checking.”
Netchanok Saekhu, a teacher from Assumption Thonburi School
Netchanok said that “Having students attend a camp with a quality media like Thai PBS gives us confidence in the production and presentation aspects here. The students are likely to gain skills not only in fact-checking but also in media production.”
August 8, 2025 – The First Day of “Thai PBS Verify Youth Camp: Developing Critical Thinkers to Defeat Fake News, Gen 1” at Sappaya-Sapasathan (the Parliament Complex)
Pipat Janma, a teacher from Rattanakosin Somphot Bangkhen School
Meanwhile, Pipat Janma, a teacher from Rattanakosin Somphot Bangkhen School, remarked that fact-checking and fake news verification skills are essential for today’s students. With the overwhelming amount of false information circulating, it is crucial for young people to develop strong critical thinking when consuming news and information.
Expectations from the Organizers
From the perspective of the organizing team, Kanokporn Prasitphon, Director of the Digital Media Department at Thai PBS, stated that the Thai PBS Verify Youth Camp: Developing Critical Thinkers to Defeat Fake News is the first-ever camp project launched under the Thai PBS Verify initiative. This marks the beginning of a new kind of activity that aims to engage and educate young people directly.
Because this is a pilot program, there were some limitations on participant recruitment — applications were open only to students from Bangkok and surrounding provinces. Despite this restriction, the camp received a high level of interest from young people.
Kanokporn noted that this project is unlikely to end with just this first generation. There is a strong possibility that it will continue in future years, with plans to expand its scope — including broader topics, more diverse activities, and participation from schools across the country. The goal is to make the program more inclusive and accessible, allowing even more young people to benefit from it in the years ahead.
Kanokporn Prasitphon, Director of the Digital Media Department, Thai PBS
Kanokporn Prasitphon observed that fact-checking has become an increasingly important issue, both online and in society at large — especially among young people who spend significant time on digital platforms. Therefore, this group should continue to be developed as a key target audience.
“Many of the young participants may already have some background in journalism, content creation, or have previously encountered fake news as media consumers. We want them to gain skills in Media and Information Literacy, such as using fact-checking tools, tracing news sources, identifying signs of misinformation, conducting interviews, and learning production skills. We’ve gathered experts from various fields to comprehensively build these skills into the program curriculum.”
She added that “The works produced by the participants will serve as a benchmark for them to recognize their own potential and that of their peers. They’ll also have the chance to exchange experiences and receive feedback from commentators in the news industry — helping them understand what areas can be improved. Moreover, the video pieces created by the participants will serve as valuable material for Thai PBS, reflecting the current fact-checking capabilities of today’s youth.”
The Director concluded by saying that beyond gaining technical knowledge and skill exchange, participants will also form lasting friendships — an invaluable takeaway from this camp experience.
August 8, 2025 – The First Day of “Thai PBS Verify Youth Camp: Developing Critical Thinkers to Defeat Fake News, Gen 1” at the Parliament Complex
The Thai PBS Verify Youth Camp: Developing Critical Thinkers to Defeat Fake News, Gen 1 invited high school students from schools across Bangkok and surrounding areas to join an intensive hands-on training program. The camp offers comprehensive learning sessions led by expert speakers from various fields, emphasizing practical, experiential learning.
Participants will gain essential skills to navigate and manage the overwhelming flow of information — including fake news, misinformation, and distorted facts — over the course of three days and two nights, from August 8–10, 2025, at the Thailand Science Park (NSTDA), Pathum Thani Province. Participants also can compete for scholarships worth over 30,000 baht, along with certificates and trophies from Thai PBS, by producing and submitting short vertical videos under the theme “Campaigning for Media Literacy Against Misinformation.”
Follow the atmosphere and activities from the Thai PBS Verify Youth Camp: Developing Critical Thinkers to Defeat Fake News, Gen 1 at:
https://www.thaipbs.or.th/verifyyouthcamp2025/
