A WHOLE-OF-NATION APPROACH
When one considers the long run threats that loom on the horizon, it’s clear {that a} holistic, whole-of-nation method to growing options is required.
As noticed in different nations, fact-checking efforts too may be weaponised or politicised, with completely different sides of political divides deploying fact-checkers to undermine each other.
Past the growing divisiveness this will encourage in societies, one other impact may be to confuse most people to the purpose that belief in any supply of knowledge – together with credible platforms similar to established media outlets – diminishes irreparably.
As such, what is required for a long-term, sustainable and strong counter to misinformation and disinformation is for all stakeholders to come back collectively to work for a typical aim.
In Singapore, the federal government has enacted legal guidelines geared toward stopping on-line falsehoods from being unfold. On the similar time, instructional efforts have been deployed by tutorial establishments and organisations such because the Nationwide Library Board to construct better information, media and knowledge literacy.
This must be paired with the work by tech firms, impartial fact-checkers and media shops to make sure that sources of disinformation are restricted and disempowered, whereas additionally encouraging the event of high-quality, trusted and credible sources of factual data.
If there’s any small silver lining from Meta’s resolution to drag again from fact-checking and content material moderation and its subsequent results – it’s that it serves as a reminder of the fact of the threats we face as a society from pretend information and disinformation, and the way an informed, knowledgeable and activated citizenry could be our greatest guess to overcoming present and future threats.
Nicholas Fang is a former journalist and Nominated Member of Parliament. He’s additionally the founder and managing director of Black Dot Analysis, a market and social analysis company that operates Singapore’s main impartial fact-checking platform.
