“Fake News on Social Media and the Role of Reporters”

The seminar was attended by many experts in journalism and communication such as: Mr. Timothy Stoker Large (representative of Thomson Reuters, Director of the "Journalism and Communication" program, Thomson Reuters Foundation, journalist, editor, lecturer and communication consultant), Mr. Le Quoc Minh (Editor-in-Chief of Vietnam Plus), Mr. Cao Hoang Nam (Coordinator of the Internet and Society Research Program - VPIS), Dr. Pham Hai Chung (Co-head of the Internet and Communication Department, Internet and Society Research Program - VPIS), Dr. Phan Thuy Tram (New Women Newspaper), Mr. Nguyen Hung Son (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Today Newspaper), Mr. Truong Hoang Long (Editorial Secretary of Tien Phong Newspaper)...

At the discussion, the parties focused on clarifying hot issues related to the role of the press in providing transparent and honest information to readers; how to select accurate information, and how to maintain journalistic ethics under the pressure of competing for information with social networks.

In the first session of the discussion, Mr. Timothy Stoker Large provided an overview of global digital news through the Digital News Report 2016 of the Reuters Institute. The report also mentioned a comparison with the reality in Vietnam and predicted the development directions in the coming period of the global media. The second session of the discussion focused on studying the current situation of fake news in Vietnam, feasible solutions to reduce the widespread development of fake news, and raised questions about the necessity of a Code of Conduct for social networks in Vietnam.

Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh - Rector of University of Social Sciences and Humanities with delegates at the seminar

The 2016 Digital News Report affirms the position of social networks, specifically Facebook and Youtube, as the main information platforms in the community. In addition, a series of trends in 2017 were also presented by Mr. Timothy at the seminar. These include: the immediate challenges posed to world democracy in the face of the rapid development of information technology, specifically the increasingly important role of "Artificial Intelligence"; the increasingly deep conflict between traditional media and new media. Mr. Timothy also commented that the rapid development of social networks has contributed to the spread and increased influence of Fake News in the community. In addition, a bright spot in the first session of the discussion was that many speakers and representatives of units recognized that: the rapid development of Fake news, on the contrary, can play an important role in affirming the importance of traditional media.

Focusing on analyzing the role of journalists in the face of the above situation, Mr. Le Quoc Minh gave many notable analyses and opinions. According to him, Fake News is a phenomenon that has existed for a long time in society, now supported by social networks, so it has the opportunity to spread strongly and have a profound influence. There are many purposes when using Fake News, but in general, it is to make a profit through advertising. According to Mr. Minh, the current situation is not only alarming, but we are actually in a war with Fake News. However, in that war, the role of journalists has not really been highlighted. Mr. Minh commented that in the coming time, journalists will play a role as one of the groups that have a great impact on preventing the spread of Fake News. Specifically, improving professional ethics, fully recognizing the change in public information consumption habits, and starting necessary preparations for a new way of working for the press will be key points challenging journalists in the fight against Fake News.

Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh and delegates at the seminar

As part of the discussion, many representatives from businesses, research centers and training institutions also asked many questions to the speakers about the issue of building a Code of Conduct for social networks in Vietnam. The opinions expressed were unanimous in the view that in addition to building a Fact Checking Service, the establishment of a Code of Conduct on social networks in Vietnam is necessary, not only in managing Fake News but also can become a useful framework for building an increasingly better network environment in Vietnam.