The Sciences Po Journalism School and VIGINUM Launch a New Course on Information Manipulation

Press release, Paris, 14 January 2026 - As digital interference increasingly floods the online public space, knowing how to detect and analyse it has become an essential skill for journalists.

Sciences Po’s Journalism School and VIGINUM, the French government agency responsible for monitoring and protecting against foreign digital interference, are launching a new academic partnership designed to better equip future journalists to tackle information manipulation.

A brand‑new course, “Information Manipulation and Foreign Interference,” is being offered for the first time in January 2026. Taught to second‑year Master’s students over 20 hours, it provides ECTS credits required for graduation.

“To train tomorrow’s journalists, we’ve already integrated responsible uses of artificial intelligence and in‑depth analysis of platform business models, from virality mechanisms to the attention economy. But we need to go further. Thanks to VIGINUM’s expertise, students will learn to understand how misleading content spreads and how to trace it back to its original sources. This is a strategic challenge for journalism, whose mission to safeguard high‑quality information is more essential than ever,” explain Marie Mawad and Alice Antheaume, Dean and Executive Director of Sciences Po’s Journalism School.

This new course complements the School’s core journalism curriculum, which already trains students in key digital‑era skills: open‑source investigation (OSINT), fact‑checking, data journalism, spreadsheets and visualisation tools, and online investigative techniques.

“News media, pillars of our democratic system and national sovereignty, are increasingly targeted by destabilisation operations led by foreign actors engaged in information manipulation. Training future journalists on foreign digital interference is now a priority, so they can carry out their mission and help protect the integrity of our online public debate,” say Marc‑Antoine Brillant and Anne‑Sophie Dhiver, Head and Deputy Head of VIGINUM.

Over the School’s 21‑year history, most of its 1,074 graduates have already been trained in digital‑related issues through the Master’s programmes.

About Sciences Po’s Journalism School 

Located in Paris, Sciences Po’s Journalism School is recognised by the journalism profession. Its programmes—international in scope and focused on digital journalism—combine rigorous academic training in the social sciences with hands‑on learning taught by media professionals. As a hub for experimentation and innovation, the School works closely with partners who share its ambition to shape the future of journalism.

About VIGINUM

Created on 13 July 2021 and attached to the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN), VIGINUM is the French State’s technical and operational service dedicated to strengthening national protection against information manipulation. Its mission is to safeguard the digital public debate when it concerns the Nation’s fundamental interests, by detecting and analysing foreign digital interference.