Serious Request

Article summary

Serious Request is a family of annual multi-day, multimedia fundraising events. Initially for International Red Cross initiatives. Typically hosted by radio stations in the week before Christmas. The project was begun in 2004 by Dutch public pop music radio station 3FM. Serious Request projects have since been adopted in Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Kenya, South Korea, Austria, Germany, Latvia and Portugal. The DJs make an interactive, themed broadcast around the clock, while regular programming on the station is suspended except for news bulletins. Instead, 3FM and its website are completely dedicated to the event, which is also transmitted as a continuous audio and video live-stream. Additionally, there is television coverage, integration with social media, and a dedicated mobile app. Funds are raised in a few different ways. DJs play songs requested by listeners and visitors, in return for their donations. Celebrities and artists also donate personal possessions or offer unique opportunities to meet them, which are auctioned off. Straightforward donations are made into the project's bank account, and by physical visitors depositing cash and cheques into the house's letterbox. Additionally, members of the public run a variety of supporting initiatives, and in some cities, more glass houses are popping up.…

Key claims

1. date of foundation: 1927 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of foundation is "1927". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377556061