The OSCE conference against fake news

Tbilisi / 10.05.17 / Turan: The 14th South Caucasus Conference "Fake News, Misinformation and Freedom of the Media" is taking place in the Georgian capital under the auspices of the OSCE on May 10-11.

The conference is practically a continuation of the OSCE Vienna Conference in 2015, devoted to the problems of the domination of propaganda in the media, and characterizes the aggravation of the problem of manipulation in the information space.

"The media should maintain clarity and truth in the news and prevent propaganda," said Executive Director of the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Frane Maroevich, at the opening of the conference. He noted that the results of the conference will provide recommendations on countering propaganda.

The Austrian Ambassador, who chairs the OSCE, Arad Benko, noted that the recommendations should be strengthened by the implementation mechanism. The purpose of this is to achieve communication between governments and the media in order to strengthen the independence of the latter.

Vice President of the European Federation of Journalists Nadezhda Azhgikhina announced three recommendations of the federation to increase public confidence in the press. "We believe that journalists should follow the principle of truth, be independent and do no harm by their actions. It is also necessary to develop self-regulation in the media and society, conduct campaigns against the language of hostility, develop the experience of investigative journalism, "she said.

"The need to take measures to counter the dominance of propaganda and lies is also dictated by the intensification of the aggressive environment around journalists, which is formed as a result of the desire of governments to monitor and direct their activities," said the head of the Lithuanian Journalists' Union, Dainius Radzevicius. The conference is going on. -0-