misinformation truth
misinformation and conspiracies. Its website says: “Each episode focuses on a different global event that sparked misinformation as we speak to ex-cultists, anti-vaxxers and more who describe their slow descent into the untrue, and those who experience the brunt of the lies and hatred explain the effect that the proliferation of these ideas has.” Richard Burgess, BBC director of news content, said in a panel discussion on combating mis- and disinformation: “It’s a battle for truth right now.” The consensus was that there was ‘no silver bullet’ and people and organisations needed to work collectively.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom has to establish and
maintain an advisory committee on disinformation and misinformation. The chair is appointed by Ofcom and other members appointed by the Ofcom board. At the conference, Ofcom announced the new committee
will be led by Lord Richard Allan, an existing Ofcom board member. Lord Allen, a former vice president of public policy at Facebook and Lib Dem MP, said: “There is a growing body of research and expertise on the challenges posed by misinformation and potential responses to it. Our new committee will draw on this knowledge to provide the best possible advice to Ofcom and other stakeholders.” Ofcom’s events team set up a ‘commitment corner’ where
delegates could suggest action they might take after the conference. I wrote on the board: “Raise awareness in the NUJ of Ofcom’s work on misinformation and disinformation.” First step taken – thanks to The Journalist.
Ofcom’s findings
• More than four in 10 are sceptical about conventional news production and only one-third agree journalists follow codes of practice.
•Nearly one half say they ignore potentially untrue online content. One quarter search for information to check it.
• Around a quarter (26 per cent) say they have used a fact-checker website or tool at least once, with one in five having used BBC Verify at least once.
• Almost half (45 per cent) feel confident they can judge whether information sources are truthful and (37
per cent) can assess whether statistics are being used accurately.
• More than three-quarters agree it is important to check different sources for news.
• Three in 10 believe a single group of people secretly control the world together, and a similar proportion believe
that there is significant evidence of large-scale election fraud.
• One-third (33 per cent) are not confident in judging whether an image, audio recording or video has been created by AI.
• Over two-fifths (43 per cent) say they have encountered misinformation or deep fakes.
• Nine in ten of those who see misinformation are concerned about its societal impact, and almost two-thirds about its effect on themselves.
• Among those who encountered false or misleading information in the previous four weeks, seven in 10 said they saw it online, four in 10 on TV, and one in five in print.
theJournalist | 11
HOWARD MCWILLIAM
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