Leading journalists and scholars in Asia are calling on media professionals to step up efforts to counter fake news and disinformation that fuel social conflict and political polarization, and to step up their role as gatekeepers and watchdogs.
Speaking at the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union's (ABU) recent Global News Forum, hosted by Thai Public Broadcasting System (Thai PBS) in Bangkok, they also expressed their support for the responsible use of artificial intelligence to assist in content production and distribution.
In his keynote speech titled “The Importance of Truth, Courage, and Resisting Political Dogma,” former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said journalists today face more subtle forms of interference than in the past, including business influence, dogma, and the spread of misinformation on digital platforms.
“One form of interference is through business influence. The challenge you face now is doing your job while also looking out for profits,” he said.
It becomes important to distinguish between professional journalism and unverified online content: “What makes you a professional journalist and not just someone who posts or uploads anything to the internet or someone who simply shares stories they've collected?”
“If you can answer that question and distinguish yourself, that's what makes you a professional journalist,” he said.With the advent of technology, suddenly, everyone in the world had access to information and the ability to disseminate information.
Journalists therefore need to reaffirm their commitment to truth by actively fact-checking and seeking out hidden truths, especially those that have been suppressed by authorities and powerful interests, he said.
“Everybody is bombarded with information, and it's your job to be the filter to make sure what's being communicated to consumers and the public is actually true,” he said.
Central to this mission is resisting various forms of dogma, be it political, economic or narrative-driven, he said, adding: “The importance of resisting these kinds of dogmas is what makes you a balanced, impartial professional journalist.”
Journalists must clearly distinguish between reported facts and personal opinions and strive to remain balanced and impartial.
This impartiality is increasingly challenged in a polarized world, and neutrality is often achieved at the expense of audience and market support.
“The courage we need most right now is to actually take a stand,” the speaker emphasized, acknowledging the difficulty of taking such action but stressing that it is necessary to maintain the integrity of journalism and foster a healthy democratic society.
Prime Minister Abhisit called for a renewed commitment to the principles of truth, courage and resistance to dogma, arguing that these values were crucial not only to the future of journalism but also to the maintenance of democracy and peace around the world.
“The time has come to renew and revitalize the profession of journalism. Truth, courage and the importance of resisting dogma are the way forward and the future of news,” he opined.
Meanwhile, regional affairs expert and veteran journalist Kabi Chongkitthavor reflected on the current media landscape in Thailand and said that Thai journalists in general still need to improve their professionalism.
Nesrin Bhuzian, Fadi Pitsuwan, Kabi Chongkitthavorm, Surachanee Hammari Suriyai, Thepchai Yong
“One of the biggest problems is that the level of professionalism in Thai media is not up to the level of freedom they have,” he said.
Speaking as a panelist on “Truth, Trust and Democracy” at the forum, Kavi called for more training and knowledge for Thai media workers “so they can play a better role in fact-checking and cracking down on fake news and disinformation.”
“They need to work harder professionally to be commensurate with the freedom they have,” he said.
National Broadcasting and Communications Commission (NBTC) commissioner Pilonrong Ramasota called on the government and private society to work together to help trusted news organisations negotiate greater visibility on digital platforms and mobile applications.
“In the age of social media, disinformation and clickbait seem to dominate the news ecosystem. The economies of platforms depend on data-driven algorithms, making user engagement and clicks more important than the quality of the news or the accuracy of the information,” she said.
But with the growing trend of “platformisation”, news organisations have no choice but to move online and be dominated by algorithms, she added.
Speaking as a panelist on “Social Media Tango – The Changing Relationship between News Organizations and Social Media Companies,” she highlighted the unfair practices of social media platforms.
“In contrast to Europe and other Asian countries, Thailand appears to get its news mainly from social media, especially third-party platforms. Attribution to news agencies is not always prominent, especially on global platforms where they have more negotiating power. This is of course unfair and reflects less transparent practices,” she added.
As algorithmic relevance is not a regulatory issue, news organisations will need to work with the public sector and private society to ensure prominent visibility, particularly on digital platforms, mobile apps and connected TVs.
In Europe and Canada, government regulators and political and civil society groups have worked to promote the labeling and clear branding of trustworthy public service media on YouTube.
Negotiations are underway with Samsung to display key operator profiles of public broadcasters on its connected TVs, and there are also efforts underway to pass regulations to allow traditional public broadcasters to be pre-installed on mobile apps.
Similar measures are needed in Thailand to rebuild trust in the news ecosystem, said Pironron, adding that the NBTC is currently working on a social credit model whereby each licensed broadcaster will be assessed based on the quality of its content (starting with news) and become eligible for a certification of credibility.
This will be the basis for negotiating the importance of these news sources on online platforms in the future, she added.
In a speech titled “The Rise of Impression Zombies,” NHK Digital News Director Kaori Iida said that impression zombies are accounts that flock to viral posts by copying and stealing messages or reposting nonsense words in order to gain impressions and make money on social media.
Edson C. Tandoc, Kaori Iida, Kanokporn Prasitphon, Jirawat Thampanittanon, Trevor C. Lee
“To remain relevant and survive for the next 100 years, we need to remain a trusted news organization. We can't allow zombies to roam,” she said.
In the “Generative AI – A New Paradigm” session, Professor Edson C. Tandoc of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore presented some of the findings of a survey on generative AI in Singapore newsrooms.
Of the 170 respondents, 21.8% said their company is using generative AI, while 64.7% said they are not yet using it but are considering adopting it.
Jirawat Tangpanithanont, CEO and co-founder of Quantum Technology Foundation (Thailand), suggested that while newsrooms are increasingly adopting generative AI, news organizations could also try training their own generative AI.
“From a media perspective, I think they should start by asking non-technical questions: who are they, how are they different from other media, and how can they incorporate that uniqueness into generative AI so that it can think like them?”
“Another important area that media should address is auditing AI. We need an independent AI model that audits the generative AI. For example, if the AI starts making statements that are not in line with the company's values, the system should flag that,” he noted.
“People forget what they learn, but they never forget what they feel,” said Muhsin Enaimi, co-founder and executive producer of Off the Grid.
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“Of course, it's about content and content-rich mobile video will do great things, but as a filmmaker, executive producer and director, I think you can also try to focus on aesthetics. Obviously, television is a visual art and the human element is important,” he concluded.
By Claire Patchmanon // Marisa Chinprava
