Summary

The rise of false news has become a pressing danger to modern societies. From deliberate hoaxes created to cause mischief or make money, to media outlets re-circulating unverified or erroneous content, the misinformation ecosystem can take on many different faces. Often, people may not even know they are being exposed to questionable facts.

News media, in cooperation with tech companies, universities, foundations and civil society, can turn this challenge into an opportunity to improve their journalism practices in the social media era, strengthening their credibility and serving their communities better.

WAN-IFRA and the Straits Times jointly organised in Singapore, on 19-20 June 2017, a timely two-days event which brought together policymakers, news industry players and other stakeholders to explore concrete initiatives designed to fight the spread of misinformation in Asia.

The event featured practical fact-checking projects from Asia and around the world and discussions around what internet companies, journalism schools, government agencies and independent organisations are doing to improve media literacy and provide open societies with reliable facts to help lay the foundations of a constructive public debate.

The present report highlights some of the main points discussed at the Truth & Trust in the Media conference and presents the concrete outcome of the event's workshops, some of which are currently being developed or implemented in various parts of Asia.