Singapore workshops to form 'fake news' initiatives

May 25, 2017 at 10:25 pm by Staff


As journalists take on an ever-larger fact-checking role, the Straits Times and WAN-Ifra are working together on a conference about fighting fake news.

The two-day forum and workshops will be held at Singapore Management University on June 19-20, with an opening address from home affairs and law minister Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam.

It will bring together publishers, journalists, policymakers, industry players and other stakeholders with the objective of coming up with initiatives for fighting the spread of misinformation and improving media literacy in Asia.

Editor-in-chief of SPH's English, Malay and Tamil Media group Warren Fernandez says the spread of fake news around the world is focusing minds on the need for good, credible and reliable journalism. "Media organisations have an interest in retaining the trust of their readers. Democracies have an interest in ensuring that they have media organisations that meet voters' needs for reliable information, to help them make good choices.

"This forum will delve into how these interests are best served today."

SMU president Arnoud De Meyer says universities can impart skills in critical thinking and analysis, to be circumspect and be able to discern credible sources of information from non-credible ones: "Our students are also required to take a course in ethics so that they will be better at identifying and tackling various issues."

The "Keep it real: Truth and trust in the media" event is organised in partnership with the Canadian High Commission, Facebook, Google, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the National Library Board and SMU, and is open to the general public.

The first day will look at practical fact-checking projects from Asia and around the world. Speakers will also offer a series of presentations and take part in panel discussions on what internet companies, journalism schools, government agencies and independent organisations are doing to improve media literacy and provide societies with reliable facts that enable well informed, constructive public debates.

On the second day, selected participants will split into three workshops to discuss and identify concrete fact-checking measures and projects, including media literacy programmes and the legal and regulatory framework to tackle misinformation.

For details of the speakers and programme, check the event's website at http://www.wan-ifra.org/truth_media_event or contact Wilson Leong at wilson.leong@wan-ifra.org phone: + 65 65 62 84 40

Sections: Newsmedia industry

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