National framework to equip public with skills to discern truth

A national framework should be implemented to educate the people and equip them with the skills to discern truth from fake news, a parliamentary Select Committee has recommended.

It also suggested that the Government should support and encourage ground-up campaigns and initiatives to combat online falsehoods.

These are among 22 recommendations in a report released yesterday by the Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods.

In coming up with its findings, the 10-member committee took in written representations and evidence given at public hearings.

The committee said that public education is an "essential long-term measure to ensure that citizens are well informed, able to discern truth from falsehood and able to interrogate information sources effectively and critically".

It noted that education has to reach all segments of society, including the less educated and less Internet-savvy. This means appropriate mediums must be used.

INITIATIVES

In its report, the committee listed initiatives by various parties - such as the National Library Board, Media Literacy Council and Education Ministry - in raising media and digital literacy. It said that existing initiatives are a "strong base to build on".

A committee member, Jurong GRC MP Rahayu Mahzam, said: "We are suggesting that whatever existing efforts (there are) be reviewed and be looked at to ensure that they are effective in dealing with... new developments in digital technology."

Ms Rahayu, who was speaking at a press conference yesterday, said the curriculum in schools can be expanded.

Students should be taught about the motivations and agendas of those who spread falsehoods, which will help them understand why these parties do it.

The curriculum should also cover moral and civic education to foster constructive public discourse and responsible online behaviour.

"Also, we are encouraging critical thinking... These are important skills and need to be continually updated," she said.

Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng, also a committee member, said it is important to include the wider population, such as the elderly, in the education efforts.

There must be adequate resources to target those who are non-English speakers, he added.

In its report, the committee said that having a national framework will help to coordinate and guide public education initiatives.

The framework will help coordinate the efforts across government so the outreach covers all segments of society, it added.

 

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Recommendations made to meet five aims

In its report yesterday, the Select Committee on fake news proposed recommendations to address these five aims:

Nurture an informed public

• A national framework to ensure long-term public education on the fake news threat, reaching out to all segments of society.
• Accurate journalism, by both mainstream and alternative media, ensures that society has trusted information sources.

Reinforce social cohesion and trust

• Strengthening trust in society and public institutions can bridge fault lines and make it difficult for falsehoods to take effect.
• Organisations and public institutions should provide clarifications and information in a timely manner.

Promote fact-checking

• Credible fact-checking initiatives can debunk falsehoods in a speedy fashion, allow people to access reliable facts and create an ecosystem where accuracy is valued.

Disrupt online falsehoods

• Legislation aimed at countering and deterring the spread of online falsehoods is necessary to limit their impact. Such measures should be carefully balanced and calibrated, while additional ones may be needed to safeguard elections.
• To address the sources of fake news, a demonetisation regime and criminal sanctions against culprits should be in place.
• Tech and social media companies should take steps to fight fake news and be held accountable through government legislation and regulation.

Deal with threats to national security and sovereignty

• State-sponsored disinformation operations must be effectively dealt with, and the Government must come up with a national strategy against such threats.