Role of fact-checkers cited

SINGAPORE — Keeping the fact-checkers in check.

This is one of the directions now being pursued by the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) to maintain high standards within the group and keep the “bad actors” or those behind the disinformation out.

At the sidelines of the ongoing Asia Pacific Trusted Media Summit 2019 at the bustling Google headquarters, Daily Tribune learned of the upcoming enhancement on the IFCN’s Code of Principles starting this January.

The IFCN stressed the important role of fact-checkers in countering fake news and other forms of disinformation.

The IFCN’s new codes will be commitment to non-partisanship and fairness; commitment to standards of transparency of sources; commitment to transparency of funding and organization; commitment to transparency in the standards of methodology, and commitment to an open and honest corrections policy.

Daily Tribune was told that the word “standards” was introduced to two of the five basic principles to maintain, if not improve, the quality of groups wanting to sign up with IFCN.

The speaker also admitted that setting the standards for transparency in sources and methodology is also part of the “cleansing.”

Daily Tribune learned that there are IFCN signatories that currently have “issues” regarding the adherence to the new code of principles.

Among the current challenges being faced by IFCN are the varying understandings of what non-partisanship is; how to hold the fact-checkers accountable to the readers; the weakness in the verification system that “bad actors” could exploit; lack of standards in accuracy of fact-checking entities, and baseline standards for methodology and sourcing.

“You could be transparent in your methodology and sourcing but you have terrible standards, so we want to set the baseline standards,” one of the speakers explained.

During the summit, several speakers, mostly academicians, from various parts of the region presented instances in their respective countries the prevalence of fake news.

Among the countries and states where fake news is growing are Australia, Indonesia, Japan, India, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

In most countries, fake news is widely linked to political issues, like elections. In Malaysia, disinformation regarding non-halal food ingredients persisted while misinformation concerning gun ownership in Australia also came out.

Launched in 2016, IFCN now has 81 fact-checking organizations from 46 different countries.

Daily Tribune was among the newspaper companies invited in the ongoing summit.