MEDIA TRUST DECLINES AS DISINFORMATION SPREAD TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT OANA MEETING

By WAN MUHAMMAD ASLAH WAN RAZALI

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 (Bernama) – The 54th Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) Executive Board Meeting sparked discussions on the fight against misinformation and disinformation during its second panel session today.

Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) Editor of Digital Media, Sakina Mohamed, showcased BERNAMA's digital literacy push through its fact-checking initiative, MyCheck Malaysia.

Launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, MyCheck Malaysia investigates false claims affecting Malaysians as well as empowers them with fact-checking skills.

“The goal was not to do fact-checking for the agency or the masses, but to teach fact-checking to Malaysians and then encourage it among them," she said.

In its bid to do so, MyCheck Malaysia guides its audience on verification techniques such as reverse image searches and spotting AI manipulation using tools readily available on their devices. Its tagline, "Jangan sebar melulu, MyCheck dulu" (Don’t share recklessly, MyCheck first), reinforces its mission.

She said that MyCheck Malaysia operates with editorial independence, within the guidelines of International Fact-Checking Network.

The platform focuses on public welfare issues, including health scares and economic misinformation, while steering clear of politically motivated claims.

Sakina also encouraged media agencies to practice "prebunking" to pre-emptively counter misinformation, instead of only relying only on debunking efforts.

Prebunking exposes people to misinformation tactics before they encounter false claims, making them less likely to be misled, she said

"Think of it like a vaccine. By exposing people to misinformation tactics beforehand, we build their resistance to manipulation," she further explained.

Meanwhile, Turkish News Agency Anadolu Ajansi (AA) Strategic Communications and Brand Management Director, Hazal Duran, one of the panellists during the discussion, addressed the global decline in trust in media, which fell to 42 per cent in 2024, highlighting distrust in media credibility.

"One of the important factors we see is the spread of content that manipulates images or videos, leading to false narratives. We face this every day," she said.

Duran said that the 2023 earthquake in Türkiye is an example of disinformation’s impact, noting a surge of false information on social media during the crisis.

"During the early times of this earthquake incident, there was a lot of disinformation spreading around social media," she said.

"This was one of the cases that demonstrated the importance of fact-checking platforms in combating false narratives," she added.

Anadolu Ajansi’s fact-checking services played a vital role in verifying information and countering false claims during the crisis.

Furthermore, Yaroslav Kurilo, Deputy Director of the International Relations Department of the Russian News Agency (TASS) and a panellist, shared insights on TASS’s efforts to maintain credibility.

“TASS aims to provide unbiased, objective, and truthful information about Russia and global events,” he said, highlighting TASS’s commitment to fact-checking, supported by a dedicated editorial board established five years ago.

Kurilo cited a recent survey revealing that over 60 per cent of Russians encountered fake news last year, with 64 per cent of them initially trusting the false information. He noted that military activities, social policies, and urgent events were the most common topics for disinformation.

He said that to combat false narratives, TASS employs a rigorous verification process, directly contacting sources such as government agencies, private enterprises, and social organisations to confirm the accuracy of information before publication.

“TASS monitors foreign sources 24/7 and adheres to strict guidelines for verifying video content and other critical information,” he said.

Kurilo added that the agency's responsibility is to ensure accuracy across the 60 United Nations (UN) languages in which TASS publishes its content.

The discussion also featured panellists, including the Director for Foreign Relations and Cooperation at the Mongolian News Agency (Montsame), Khulan Banzragch, and the IT Department Manager of Iran’s Mehr News Agency, Mahmoud Farahani.

Also in attendance were Bernama’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin; Editor-in-Chief, Arul Rajoo Durar Raj; and Executive Editor for International News Service, Mohd Shukri Ishak, who is currently performing the duties of Deputy Editor-in-Chief.

The event was attended by OANA’s Secretary General, Zaman Rezakhani, who also serves as the Director of International Relations at the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), along with representatives from 13 international news agencies.

-- BERNAMA