Fake news is our biggest enemy, join the fight for press freedom!
Ooit waren journalisten de poortwachters van de informatie die ons bereikte via media. Maar in een wereld waarin desinformatie in een rap tempo om zich heen grijpt en iedereen met een smartphone informatie vrijelijk kan verspreiden, is het moeilijker dan ooit om de feiten van onwaarheden te onderscheiden. Dat maakt dat nepnieuws - of zelfs desinformatie - is uitgegroeid tot een van de grootste bedreigingen voor onze samenleving. Desinformatie is het doelbewust verspreiden van valse of onvolledige informatie en dat bedreigt democratieën wereldwijd. Alleen met toegang tot betrouwbare informatie kunnen mensen een weloverwogen mening vormen en geïnformeerde beslissingen nemen. Daarom vragen we iedereen op 3 mei, World Press Freedom Day, en in de aanloop daarnaartoe, iedereen stil te staan bij de noodzaak van een vrije pers.
In crisis situations around the world, people depend on reliable information to survive. Information is essential to know where to take shelter from airstrikes, how to avoid unsafe places and where to get humanitarian aid. But it is precisely in crisis situations that the spread of disinformation is used as a strategic weapon to create chaos and uncertainty. In Lebanon last year, people were falsely warned of bomb attacks. According to our partner Silat Wassel, this led to a lot of fear “People were frightened by all the disinformation and no longer knew who and what to believe”. Even in Sudan, where disinformation is used as a war tactic, opposing parties create fake accounts on social media that are used to mislead people about where they are safe. Independent media can act as a lifeline in such crisis situations. Ensuring the safety of journalists is therefore essential to ensure access to reliable information.
Lange termijn gevolgen van desinformatie
In the long run, disinformation has very serious and destabilising consequences for a democracy. With the spread of disinformation, public debate can be influenced to disrupt electoral processes or exploit social divisions to polarize societies. This is done not only by deliberately spreading misinformation, but also by framing and distorting half-truths.
Behind these campaigns are often actors who actually benefit from division and uncertainty. They try to use disinformation to get a grip on how people think, what they believe and what they oppose. A telling example is Syria, where supporters of the fallen Assad regime are deliberately using disinformation to fuel divisions among the population. Free Press Unlimited (FPU) recognizes how dangerous the long-lasting effect of inaccurate or misleading information can be. Societies become increasingly divided and it becomes more difficult to find solutions together: it is the invisible and greatest enemy of a democracy.
The Netherlands is not isolated from these global developments: we need reliable information to understand what is coming at us and how to respond to it. The corona pandemic made painfully clear what happens when people do not have a shared factual basis of reality: disinformation and fake news spread at lightning speed, causing confusion and social unrest. The effects can still be felt today, for example at the GGD, which has to deal with distrust and fake news around healthcare and vaccinations on a daily basis.
Independent journalism as antidote
Ensuring access to reliable information within a society is key to reducing the impact disinformation has on people and democracies worldwide. That is why we focus on two strategies: investing in media literacy and strengthening independent journalism. Teaching people to critically assess information, recognise reliable information and ensuring that reliable, local media remain available and accessible will create a sustainable solution. After all, an informed society is autonomous, decisive and resistant to disinformation.
Join the fight for press freedom
Around the world, courageous and resilient journalists and media workers continue to fight for reliable information, transparency and justice. Fortunately, they are not alone. Organisations like Free Press Unlimited support them in their fight, with support for their journalism, increasing their audiences and relationships with them. As well as security training, legal support and protection resources in conflict zones. But also at policy level, where FPU lobbies for better legislation and policies to promote press freedom. Together we can keep press freedom alive. On World Press Freedom Day, we call upon you: Support the free press, fight with us and stay informed about our work!
