How we combat misinformation
"I have said that propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation have always been part of political warfare. Social media and other new platforms have given it a new life and reach through which the fake news phenomenon can reach everywhere." – Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Dear Friends of Democracy,
Democracy needs informed citizens. Only then can we make decisions in our favour in elections.
That's a no-brainer.
Digitalisation, however, has dramatically changed the information situation. The amount of misinformation has increased sharply.
Consequently, combating misinformation can be vital to the survival of a democracy.
So, what is the state of the fact-checker industry?
The industry is stagnating.
The number of fact-checking outlets rocketed upward for years — from a mere 11 sites in 2008 to 424 in 2022. But this year, for the first time, there is a decline.
Obviously, there is a maturing of the field.
Is this a problem? I don't know. But generally speaking, I share the optimism Claire Wardle, a co-director of the Information Futures Lab at Brown University, quoted by the New York Times. She is hopeful that society will learn to adapt to the new news situation and that most people will continue to value accuracy. Wardle: "We tend to get obsessed with the very worst conspiracies — the people who got radicalised; actually, the majority of audiences are pretty good at figuring this all out."
See you,
Johannes Eber