14th AMRI conference ups ante on fake news war
SINGAPORE: The 14th Asean Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) conference which started here yesterday has upped the ante on the war on fake news with the adoption of a framework that will aim to minimise the harmful effects of such news.
Singaporean Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran noted in a press conference that the issue of fake news, especially on social media platforms, has become a growing challenge globally.
The ministers involved in AMRI agreed that there is a need for Asean to collaborate and exchange best practices in combating fake news while mitigating its harmful effects.
“The ministers endorsed the framework and joint declaration to minimise the harmful effect which would provide a common frame of reference for Asean member states to strengthen cooperation, share ideas and propose viable solutions to address the proliferation of fake news and its negative impacts for the benefit of the people,” said Iswaran.
The endorsed framework will include four main strategies to combat fake news, namely education and awareness to help create a more discerning and well-informed public; detection and response that suggests government and media organisations alike do their best to contribute to fact- checking content; new norms and guidelines that encourages government entities to create guidelines that will help empower and protect citizens in their consumption of information; and community and ground up participation that pushes the general public to actively join in on the task of spotting fake news and preventing further spread of it.
When asked if there was a need for formal legislation to combat fake news, Iswaran said, “It depends on the circumstances
We can establish factual accuracy and factual inaccuracies, so there needs to be a mechanism to enable that inaccuracy to be corrected especially if they lead to consequences to that of a country’s interest. S Iswaran, Singaporean Minister for Communications and Information
as they unfold.
“What is truth and what is falsehood is a matter of fact, not a question of opinion.
“We can establish factual accuracy and factual inaccuracies, so there needs to be a mechanism to enable that inaccuracy to be corrected especially if they lead to consequences to that of a country’s interest.”
However, Iswaran believes that strategies that include components of education and awareness, and community and ground up participation would be the most ideal.
“The ultimate and most robust safeguards against the harmful effects of fake news are by understanding, discerning and making the right choices to not perpetuate falsehoods.”
Touching on how media and government organisations can help contribute to fact- checking fake news, AMRI vice chairperson and minister attached to the Thai prime minister’s office, Kobsak Pootrakool, highlighted that in Thailand, some organisations have started applications, broadcasting programmes and systems that allow citizens to report suspected fake news to have them evaluated or checked.
“If you are not quick enough, then it becomes too late. People already believe what they read, so it is up to the government to come out with the right information at the right time,” he said.
Besides just addressing the issue of fake news, the 14th AMRI conference also saw a revision to the previously established guidelines of digital video broadcasting, the endorsement of a framework for co-production in the audio-visual sector for Asean, and the approval of a set of core values on digital literacy.
To increase inclusivity in the region’s digital landscape, it was proposed that digital video broadcasting guidelines would be revised, specifically the move to standardise broadcasting of free-to-air channels with DVB-T2 standard.
According to AMRI, the move to switch to DVB-T2 standard would allow the general population the ability to convert their mobile and portable devices into portable television sets, providing a huge potential for government messages to be received by Asean citizens while they are on the move around the world.
Likewise, the endorsement of a framework for co- production in the audio-visual sector will also help boost inclusivity and enhancement of the digital environment as it would help promote the co- production of videos and movies between Asean members.
Besides this, Asean members have also been angling to reduce reliance on analogue TV and make the move to digital. The move was particularly an important one as the move to digital would free up spectrum in respective telecommunication lines and help enhance existing network capabilities, or allow companies to invest in upcoming technologies such as 5G.
The aim is to achieve this by 2020 and so far, Malaysia has achieved about an 85 per cent switch earlier this year while Vietnam has switched off analogue signals for another 15 provinces last year. Singapore will be angling to turn off analogue for good by the end of 2018.
The 14th AMRI conference, which ends today, is being hosted by Singapore this year, and also includes several showcases of digital exhibits and tours.