Criminalising fake news will not stop the spread of misinformation, but strengthening quality journalism might, says Wits University Professor of Philosophy, Lucy Allais.
Allais was speaking during a webinar on Fake News and Misinformation.
Twitter is the platform where most fake news are distributed and the Department of Health and the Presidency are the most targeted. They are followed by the education department and the police.
Allais says the spread of fake news can be stopped when citizens empower themselves and trust in the media is returned.
“I think there’s a really important, a number of really important lessons that we should learn. The importance of media regulation, which is difficult but not impossible and we shouldn’t abandon. Another is that we really need to support and work out ways of funding, supporting, and training journalism,” she says.
She adds: “Journalism is a really crucial source of information in our society and it needs to be supported and obviously, it’s being challenged by the internet age in terms of finances.”
Last year, fake news and misinformation added to the anxiety around the outbreak of COVID-19 in South Africa.
Non-profit organisation, Africa Check, echoes that social media is the platform used to distribute most of this inaccurate information on the virus, which has caused unnecessary panic at times.
At the same time, government officials have issued a stern warning – saying the spread of inaccurate and misleading information on the virus will not be tolerated and can lead to legal action.
In the video below is the discussion on fake news:
