A story about a doctor who decided to remove the breathing tube from his mother to use it for a pregnant woman grabbed headlines on social media recently.
It also went viral due to the irresponsibility of internet users, including reporters and journalists, who play a leading role in the fight against fake news.
Following such incidents, the Vietnam Anti-Fake News Centre at the Ministry of Information and Communications meted out fines of 5 million VND (218 USD) each to the two Facebook accounts that posted the news.
It recommended that netizens, and especially reporters, not share non-verified information on social networks.
The centre received more than 1,100 reports on fraudulent and fake news on cross-border social networks such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok in the first half of the year.
After confirmation, it announced 38 cases of fake news, most of which were related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and issued fines totalling 177 million VND (7,720 USD).
Journalists who join social networks should be aware of their responsibility to provide official news in a timely manner. The centre’s move will play an important role in preventing the spread of fake news among the community.
Detecting, handling and minimising 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.
This is the most effective “vaccine” against fake news and its “variants” developed by hostile forces./.
