Orange County

Ukrainian professor heading to Central Florida to teach students how to identify misinformation

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Ukrainian professor is heading to Central Florida this fall to teach students at Stetson University about misinformation surrounding the war between Russia and Ukraine.

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For Dr. Olena Kolupayeva, the last few months have been mostly about surviving in Ukraine. But she has continued teaching journalism through it all, even during air raids.

“During the war, our social media (pages) were flooded with misinformation and propaganda,” Kolupayeva said. “It was very crucial to think critically and to analyze all these media sources.”

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When she arrives at Stetson in August, she will teach American undergraduate students about what she has seen — about misinformation circulating on the war, and what’s really happening between the two countries.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to educate American undergraduates about human rights,” she said. “During the war, (there was) a lot of human rights abuses and a lot of violations about national humanitarian law by the Russian Federation.”

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Kolupayeva will also serve as an ambassador to build bridges between Stetson and Ukraine.

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Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.