Experts urge to boost managing the “infodemic” in the context of the COVID-19

An international conference on managing fake news in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - At an international conference on managing fake news in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic held earlier this month in Hanoi, experts stressed that the spread of such harmful and ill-intentioned information has eroded public trust in the pandemic fight, causing public anxiety and concern, and hindering the country’s anti-pandemic efforts.

Therefore, it is extremely important to manage the “infodemic” in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event, jointly held by Nhan Dan Newspaper, the Academy of Journalism and Communication (AJC), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), consisted of an opening session and two thematic panels with six presentations presented by Vietnamese and Korean scholars.

Panel 1 focused on the reality of the infodemic while Panel 2 looked into experiences, initiatives and solutions to improve pandemic communication, enhance the role of mainstream media in fighting against misinformation and disinformation, and accelerate the application of technology into pandemic communication.

The conference was a forum for Vietnamese and Korean experts to exchange experiences, methods and remedies for the current infodemic.

Experts at the event asserted that the COVID-19 has given rise to an infodemic which has caused a huge hindrance to the implementation of anti-pandemic solutions.

In February 2020, WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commented that “we’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic. Fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus, and is just as dangerous.”

Associate Professor Pham Minh Son, Rector of the AJC, said that together with the COVID-19 pandemic, the infodemic has caused severe economic and social consequences.

He added that the spread of misinformation and disinformation on social media makes it even more difficult to implement anti-pandemic solutions while highlighting the role of media organisations in the battle against the infodemic.

According to Nhan Dan’s Editor-in-chief Le Quoc Minh, the infodemic has brought to light the importance of fact-checking, and it is the social and professional responsibility of press organizations to verify information.

He noted that journalists need to have methods, skills, and tools to check and verify the information before presenting it to audiences. He called on press agencies to invest more into technology that facilitates fact-checking activities.

Nhan Dan’s Editor-in-chief Le Quoc Minh at the conference. (Photo: VNA)

For his part, KOICA Vietnam Country Director Cho Han Deog said that the infodemic induced by COVID-19 is threatening public trust in social institutions. It is a problem for many countries in the world, and it must be solved with suitable, timely, and creative solutions.

The conference has the online participation of Korean political and media experts.

Dr Sonho Kim, lead researcher at Korean Press Foundation explained how political attitudes interact with media uses in building belief in COVID-19 misinformation.

Dr Uhm Seung Yong, former KOICA expert discusses the anti-pandemic solutions with focus on the quality of information given to the public.

The conference on managing the infodemic in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is part of a series of international conferences jointly held by the AJC, KOICA, and a press organization since 2016.

These conferences serve as the forum for Vietnamese and Korean experts to exchange information, experiences, and solutions for journalism, communication, and social issues of theoretical and practical importance.

According to experts, handling and minimizing the spread of fake news at the local level were cemented in documents issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications in July. Along with strong sanctions and the application of IT in detecting fake news, it is necessary to improve skills and address the “herd mentality” in the community./.