DA NANG, Sept 19 — Vietnam today hosted The Asean Forum on Tackling Disinformation to discuss and share best practices to mitigate the harmful effects of disinformation and fake news in the region.
The forum held at the Furama Resort Danang here was organised on the sideline of the 16th Conference of Asean Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) and Related Meetings scheduled from Sept 20 to 23.
Vietnam Information and Communications Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam in his opening speech said the forum reaffirmed Asean countries’ commitment on the matter which aligns with its overarching objective of creating a trustworthy and accountable cyberspace for people in the region.
Lam said since 2017 the issue of disinformation and fake news has been a significant concern for Asean and the regional body has undertaken numerous initiatives to raise awareness and address the harmful effects of fake news.
He said these efforts include programmes and workshops aimed at sharing management policies, campaigns designed to enhance digital literacy among citizens and the promotion of knowledge exchange among electronic information management agencies.
He noted that a pivotal moment arrived in 2018 when the 14th AMRI approved the Framework and Joint Declaration on Reducing the Harmful Effects of Fake News.
“Recognising the necessity of united action against fake news, the 19th Asean Senior Officials Responsible for Information Meeting in 2022 endorsed Vietnam’s proposal to establish an ASEAN Task Force on Fake News,” he said.
Lam said this framework and mechanism has provided a platform for Asean member countries to strengthen cooperation, exchange information and propose practical solutions to combat this issue within the region.
He noted that while Asean has made significant strides in addressing fake news, the efforts have largely centred on sharing policies and experiences among governmental agencies.
“It is now time for us to deepen collaboration among media management agencies tasked with enhancing information dissemination; media organisations responsible for spreading official and positive information, detecting, publishing and correcting fake news; research agencies serving as independent research and verification bodies and social network providers engaged in combating disinformation within the region,” he said.
Malaysia’s delegation to the forum includes the Department of Information (Japen) Director of Media and Corporate Communication Datuk E. Sivabalan and Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) deputy editor-in-chief (news service) Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin.
Also in the delegation are International Division at Communications and Digital Ministry Senior Principal Assistant Secretary Tunku Latifah Tunku Ahmad and Radio Television Malaysia deputy director (policy and research section) Reza Shahriman Othman.
At the forum, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) presented a paper on Malaysia’s initiatives to tackle disinformation including the Sebenarnya.my portal which was established in 2017 as a national one-stop centre for the public to check and channel information on unverified news received online.
— Bernama
