Dialogue on Fakes 2.0 Forum Presented Concept of International Fact-Checking Association
As part of the Dialogue on Fakes 2.0 Forum, TASS and ANO Dialogue Regions signed a memorandum on the establishment of the International Fact-Checking Association Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN). The concept of the organization was presented at the plenary session by Director General of ANO Dialogue and ANO Dialogue Regions Vladimir Tabak. The meeting was moderated by Advisor on International Affairs to the Head of Rosmolodezh, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate Daniil Bisslinger.
Today, the threat of fake news remains to be one of the most global issues of all humanity. According to research by ANO Dialogue Regions, 30 million copies of fake messages have been detected in Russia since 2020. By the end of this year, the number is expected to reach approximately 8 million.
Combating fakes and monitoring this process is an important issue, which is discussed at the global level, as it requires international cooperation. These days, there are two fact-checking organizations in the world, but over 120 countries are still outside their coverage. That’s why a decision has been made to create a fact-checking organization, emphasized Director General of ANO Dialogue and ANO Dialogue Regions.
“The International Fact-Checking Organization will be called GFCN – Global Fact-Checking Network. What do we offer? In terms of goals, the first thing is bringing the international fact-checking community together around those who share our views and values. The second thing is working out unified fact-checking standards and systematic training. We are ready to be in charge of the educational function, and, moreover, we are ready to perform it both online and offline on the basis of our New Media Workshop and Dialogue PRO online platform. The third thing is introducing efficient tools to combat fakes,” said Vladimir Tabak.
Journalists, experts and fact-checking organizations can be admitted to the Association upon signing the Code of Responsible Fact-Checking, undergoing training and compliance checks.
“We will be guided by the principle of collegiality, and will create an Association council to decide whether an organization member can or can’t be admitted. Other organizations only accept legal entities, but we provide the opportunity to be admitted to the Association not only to legal entities but individuals too,” added Director General of ANO Dialogue and ANO Dialogue Regions.
The International Fact-Checking Association will partner with TASS and New Media Workshop. Director General of TASS Andrey Kondrashov talked about the role of the Agency in the joint work:
“For three years now, TASS and ANO Dialogue Regions have been working together in the field of combating the spread of fake news. But, overall, fact-checking is a historic mission for TASS. The decision to create an organization that would comprehensively take on the mission of combating fakes has been long overdue”.
Also, as part of the plenary session, experts discussed the issues of countering pressing challenges and threats of fakes at the international level. Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, talked about the risks that might arise in the near future:
“The topic of combating fakes is at the intersection of news flows and new technologies, hybrid wars, the collective West and actions of dishonest actors of the world media space that carry out psychological operations, misinformation campaigns and provocations. All this is an existential crisis of our time that jeopardizes the security and well-being of all humanity. And our future depends on whether the world community can withstand these risks”.
One of the key dangers of the spread of fakes is that they not only pose a threat within individual countries, but also influence international relations. Recently, there have been a few international conflicts that were sparked based on fake information, emphasized Head of the G.O.R.K.I Centre (SPSU), former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Karin Kneissl. That’s why today it’s important to stay alert when interacting with the news and beware of fakes.
“Back in 2002-2003, the war in Iraq was built on a big lie. And I urged German and Austrian journalists not to go to this war because it all was a big lie,” said Karin Kneissl.
Today, fakes work increasingly less frequently, said creator of the Rybar Telegram channel Mikhail Zvinchuk. Meanwhile, misinformation still remains to be a serious problem and poses a threat. In the era of active dissemination of misinformation, there are very few opportunities to see what’s really going on in the world, noted Jackson Hinkle, American political commentator, host of the Legitimate Targets web TV show on X. That’s why having an available fact-checking source is essential today.
Let us remind you, previously, during the All-Russian Youth Educational Forum SHUM, young media specialists from 86 countries discussed the problem of misinformation which proves that the topic is relevant for the modern global journalistic community. As part of the programme, foreign media experts took part in a series of discussions on fact-checking and examined ways to combat fake news. The international shift was organized by the World Youth Festival Directorate.
Overview:
Dialogue on Fakes 2.0 is the second international forum, devoted to the problem of the spread of misinformation. As part of the Forum, unique research on the influence of misinformation and ways to combat it were presented. The Forum brought together over 1000 participants from 65 countries, which include: USA, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, France, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, United Kingdom, Germany, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Pakistan, India, Iran, Turkiye, China, Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt and other.