BREGU: There is a price to pay for speaking the truth - how much are we willing to spend in “killing the fake news”?
29 April 2023
Talking point - Bad News (Design: RCC/Edin Sabljica)
RCC Secretary General in #TalkingPoint on disinformation
Disinformation is false information deliberately and often covertly spread, such as through the planting of rumors, in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth. Fake news spreads six times faster than true news.
In this edition of #TalkingPoint, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Majlinda Bregu, provides her personal perspective on deconstructing “bad news”, deep fakes, the effects of AI on the expansion of false news, and more.
Disinformation is a form of warfare. Seven out of 10 citizens in the Western Balkans believe that fake news is a problem for their democracies, and 74% see it as a security threat. A majority, or 57%, are confident that they can recognize false news from true news. Can you?
“There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. When it comes to telling the truth today, do we really do it? And more importantly, do we really want to hear it? The bad news about disinformation is what makes it go viral. This is not a metaphor; this is reality. So we have something that concerns us, and therefore something must be done, because the merchants of bad will stay in business as long as there are customers," says RCC Secretary General.
How much are we willing to spend in “killing the fake news”, and what level of risk are we willing to accept? Are there any examples of media institutions or think tankers in our region that can deploy strategies to fight against online propaganda? Are any government task forces being formed, new regulations being debated, or new initiatives by tech companies being launched? What about the spread of fake news by political parties? Do we take this warfare seriously? What about education?
“There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and profit," concludes Bregu.
