By the end of the year, a platform will be launched that will provide insight into the ownership structure of all media, and consequently, their sources of funding. Croatia is the first EU country to establish a system for fact-checking, said Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek on Friday at the promotion of the Central National Online Platform for Fact-Checking – “Točno tako.”
“We are the first EU country to launch and build such a system, and in communication with the European Commission, we know that this project is being observed, and that many countries are considering launching a similar model,” said Minister Obuljen Koržinek at the presentation of the “Točno tako” platform at the Miroslav Krleža Lexicographic Institute.
The project, which involves 21 Croatian fact-checkers, is part of media policy, based on scientific research, and was implemented as part of the measure “Establishment of a Fact-Checking System,” led by the Ministry of Culture and Media and the Agency for Electronic Media (AEM), she added.
It is funded through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO). The project’s implementation is also linked to restoring trust in media that operate on ethical principles and employ professional journalists.
“Our goal is not for the state or a regulator to say ‘this is the truth’ or ‘this should or should not be,’ but to create systems that will enable citizens to gain insight and draw their own conclusions about whether the information presented to them is truly relevant,” emphasized the Minister of Culture and Media.
She announced that by the end of the year, a platform would be launched to provide insight into the ownership structure of all media and, consequently, their sources of funding.
The Director of the Agency for Electronic Media (AEM), Josip Popovac, said that the platform for Croatian fact-checkers, “Točno tako,” is an ambitious project that will help citizens and the public form their own judgments based on verified information.
“Today, there are 170 fact-checkers worldwide, 49 of them in Europe. Today, we are launching a platform for 21 fact-checkers in Croatia. It wouldn’t be far from the truth to say that, as of today, every tenth fact-checker in the world, and almost every third in Europe, operates in Croatia,” added Popovac.
On the platform “Točno tako,” all information verified by fact-checking projects selected under the measure will be published, categorized, and archived, explained AEM Deputy Director Robert Tomljenović.
The platform’s goal is to exchange data, knowledge, insights, and tools developed within the projects aimed at combating disinformation, which should be available and serve as a reference source for all media, researchers, and the general public.
“We have made a significant step forward because such a platform does not exist anywhere else in the EU. This is a pioneering project that has brought together the scientific community, civil society organizations, scientists, media, and regulatory bodies in support of the project,” said Tomljenović.
He emphasized that the overall goal of the measure is to strengthen society’s resilience to disinformation by reducing the amount of misinformation in the public space, media, and social networks, and by improving the reliability and security of media consumption.
The promotion at the Miroslav Krleža Lexicographic Institute in Zagreb was also attended by the director of EDMO (European Digital Media Observatory), Paolo Cesarini, while Lisa Ginsborg, member of EDMO’s Board for Education and Research, and the director of the Lexicographic Institute, Bruno Kragić, spoke about the significance and aspects of fact-checking.
Author: Hina/M.E. Habek