LAHORE: Pakistan’s caretaker Minister for Information, Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Wednesday emphasized the imperative enhancement of fact-checking mechanisms within the digital media landscape to address the issue of fake news and misinformation.
Addressing the second International Media and Communication Conference, Solangi underscored that 2024 marked a year of crucial elections in various countries, including Pakistan, India, the United States of America, and Indonesia.
He asked the media industry to play a responsible role as its duty was to protect the public interest. “Journalism is primarily regarding defending the public’s right to know,” Solangi maintained.
The minister added the challenges of the digital age were also great as artificial intelligence (AI), deep fake, voice cloning and misinformation factories have made it very difficult to sift fact from fiction.
Despite the advantages of modern technology in media, he cautioned against the inherent risks associated with these new advancements. The basic principle of journalism was the gatekeeper system to verify the news but the new media had neglected “the gatekeeper”.
In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), deep fake, cyber cloning, he said it had become very difficult to bring the truth to people, Solangi was of the view.
The minister said for countering this issue there was a need to build verification laboratories and newsrooms must create fact-check departments. He further said it was necessary to check serious threats of the digital age otherwise truth will become the core casualty.
. —APP
