Discern

Definition

Creating transparently, fairly and without manipulation; measuring the impact — social, cultural, environmental — of what you put into circulation, and answering for it. The Discern thread runs through the seven domains: it does not add to the competencies, it qualifies the way all of them are exercised.

Components

• Transparency: disclosing what is sponsored, AI-generated, retouched or staged
• Non-manipulation: refusing deceptive interfaces, false promises, the exploitation of vulnerabilities
• Responsibility in distribution: what we amplify, what we take out of context, what we make go viral
• Environmental impact of creation and distribution practices: sobriety in our choices
• Representations: what our content normalises, makes invisible or caricatures
• A personal charter: setting out your red lines before you face them

The four levels

1. N1 Discovery Lower secondary · complete beginner

   Is able to identify manipulative or deceptive content and to explain what makes it problematic.

   Evidence of assessment

   Critically analyse two problematic pieces of content: techniques used, effects produced.

2. N2 Application Upper secondary · advanced beginner

   Is able to apply systematic transparency rules in their own content.

   Evidence of assessment

   Present content carrying systematic fair-dealing disclosures: sponsorship, AI use, retouching.

3. N3 Adaptation Tertiary · junior professional

   Is able to run their work through an ethical checklist before publishing, and to arbitrate ambiguous cases.

   Evidence of assessment

   Write a personal ethical charter for digital creation, apply it, and document a real arbitration case.

4. N4 Orchestration Experienced professional

   Is able to design the ethical standards of a collective or a project and to arbitrate cases where principles conflict.

   Evidence of assessment

   Deploy a charter for creative work and document three real arbitrations, including one where two principles were in conflict.