“Fact-checking” to tackle “fake news”

How to counter «fake news», the false information deliberately disseminated with the aim of deceiving, harming, or influencing? The Economic, Social, and Environmental Council has drawn up an opinion on “Fake news, from misinformation to access to proven and available information”, presented on Wednesday, February 15.

The phenomenon is not new, but it has increased with the democratization of new information and communication tools, to such an extent that “false information circulates six times faster than the real one!” As the Council explains, the circulation of false information is fostered by the limited access to official and proven information, especially since citizens are very poorly equipped to verify its authenticity, not to mention the sometimes-malevolent intervention from some influencers.

Many dysfunctions foster or even fuel the spread of fake news. This is particularly the case with the retention of information by some administrations which do not update official data or do not disseminate them systematically. However, a law exists, namely Law No. 31-13, which obliges administrations to such updating and dissemination. At this level, the results of the ‘‘ouchariko.ma’’ citizen consultation are quite revealing: 37% of respondents consider that it is difficult to find official and proven information, and for 33% of them, this information is incomplete and not up to date. Against this situation, “open data” becomes a necessity. It is even a guarantee of transparency of the administration. “ Awareness of the fundamental strategic aspect of occupying the field of information in the digital environment is essential. This will avoid negative impacts that can be extremely damaging from an economic, social, or political point of view”, note the experts of the Council. The provision of relevant and proven information by identified official bodies can create the reflex to refer to such information. Credible and strong media are also an asset! In any case, the Council recommends ensuring the effectiveness of the right of access to public information, in particular by making it compulsory to disseminate, on the website of the administration concerned, all official public documents within 24 hours following their adoption.

Among the weaknesses and dysfunctions noted is also the lack of human and physical resources capable of enabling the various public media channels to effectively the spread of fake news. Added to this is the lack of effective fact-checking platforms capable of better verifying the facts, with the exception of a few isolated initiatives. This refers to the need to set up a public digital platform for «fact-checking» official information from Morocco while taking care to capitalize on the initiatives launched by certain institutions (MAP -Maghreb Arab Presse Agency, and HACA-High Audiovisual and Communications Agency, etc.). The Economic Council is also in favor of granting subsidies to these ‘‘fact -checking’’ websites through independent funds, of the universal service type, and also in favor of creating a labeling system. Another recommendation is to support initiatives aimed at detecting and sharing false information among media professionals with a view to minimizing their dissemination to the general public.

Khadija MASMOUDI