A WHOLE-OF-NATION APPROACH
When one considers the future threats that loom on the horizon, it is clear that a holistic, whole-of-nation approach to developing solutions is needed.
As observed in other countries, fact-checking efforts too can be weaponised or politicised, with different sides of political divides deploying fact-checkers to undermine one another.
Beyond the increasing divisiveness this can encourage in societies, another effect can be to confuse the general public to the point that trust in any source of information – including credible platforms such as established media outlets – diminishes irreparably.
As such, what is needed for a long-term, sustainable and robust counter to misinformation and disinformation is for all stakeholders to come together to work for a common goal.
In Singapore, the government has enacted laws aimed at preventing online falsehoods from being spread. At the same time, educational efforts have been deployed by academic institutions and organisations such as the National Library Board to build greater news, media and information literacy.
This needs to be paired with the work by tech companies, independent fact-checkers and media outlets to ensure that sources of disinformation are restricted and disempowered, while also encouraging the development of high-quality, trusted and credible sources of factual information.
If there’s any small silver lining from Meta’s decision to pull back from fact-checking and content moderation and its subsequent effects – it’s that it serves as a reminder of the reality of the threats we face as a society from fake news and disinformation, and how an educated, informed and activated citizenry might be our best bet to overcoming current and future threats.
Nicholas Fang is a former journalist and Nominated Member of Parliament. He is also the founder and managing director of Black Dot Research, a market and social research agency that operates Singapore’s leading independent fact-checking platform.
