Media network proposes steps to fight fake news

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by The Straits Times, a member of the Asia News Network (ANN). The Philippine Daily Inquirer is also a member of the ANN.

SINGAPORE — The two-day “Keep it Real: Truth and Trust in the Media” conference ended on Tuesday with a suite of recommendations aimed at curbing the spread of misinformation in Asia.

As one of their first moves, news organizations in the region will draw up a step-by-step checklist to help journalists and readers identify and flag fake news.

Members of the Asia News Network, a regional alliance of 22 media organizations, will also share with one another a list of websites that actively purvey misinformation in their respective countries, as well as stories and content that each member produces to debunk fake news stories. Members will also collaborate to cross check dubious information originating in a member country with the respective ANN member based there.

These were among the outcomes from deliberations of three workshops on the second day of the event, which was organized by The Straits Times and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). The conference was held at the Singapore Management University’s new Law School building.

Summing up the conference, Warren Fernandez, Editor-In-Chief of Singapore Press Holdings’ English, Malay and Tamil Media group and Editor of The Straits Times, said media organisations must strive to stay true to their mission of providing reliable and responsible news against the onslaught of misinformation.

“Trust is something that we have to earn all the time and not to be taken for granted, in light of the very real threats the media is up against,” said Fernandez, urging news organisations to be more proactive in calling out questionable content and sharing stories that they have debunked with their communities.

He added that media in the region could also set up collaborative projects to cross-check information on issues of common concern such as terrorism, the environment, or the South China Sea.

Added Gilles Demptos, Director Asia of WAN-IFRA: “The widespread proliferation of false news on digital platforms is indeed an opportunity for quality publications to stand out and demonstrate the value of real journalism. However, a key conclusion of this event is that a multi-stakeholders approach involving tech companies, social media networks, news media, government agencies and the civil society is required to effectively fight misinformation. It is encouraging to see that the different parties in today’s news ecosystem have spontaneously joined the event and committed to collaborate on implementing some of its key recommendations.”

Torben Stephan, Director of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, a key partner of the event, said: “Fake news is a major problem for social media networks. I only trust independent, professional and critical journalists who verify their sources carefully. This is the quality of news the world needs now.”

Associate Professor Eugene Tan from Singapore Management University’s school of law, whose group was tasked to look at the legal and regulatory framework to tackle misinformation, suggested the setting up of an independent regulatory body to act on perpetrators of fake news.

On why his group was wary of governments taking on this role, Prof Tan said: “… governments themselves, for a variety of reasons, could also generate fake news. You can’t have a government being the judge and the jury.”

Participants in this group also stressed the importance of good journalism and “good media behaviour”, adding that laws should take a multi-faceted approach.

The Straits Times’ Managing Editor Fiona Chan, who chaired the workshop on fact-checking, said her group called for a regional task force to verify rumours in major events such as elections. Her group also advocated equipping journalists with the technology and tools to fact-check falsehoods, involving university students in fact-checking projects as part of their course module and launching campaigns to raise awareness on the scourge of misinformation.

Hong Kong University lecturer Anne Kruger, who led the workshop on news media literacy, said beside making this a key part of the education curriculum, there is a need to reach out to the elderly who are more vulnerable to fake news. This could be done through community ambassadors and role models, and tapping platforms such as Whatsapp, which older people typically use to access and share messages and social media links.

The two-day event brought together nearly 200 policymakers, media practitioners and technology experts publishers to examine the rise of misinformation  and explore initiatives in Asia to fight its spread and improve media literacy. Participants committed to work on implementing some of the event’s proposals,  which they will review at the WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media Asia conference in Singapore in November.