SKOPJE, 25.06.2018 – At a forum on dealing with misinformation held in Veles last week, Minister without Portfolio Robert Popovski, in charge of Communications, Accountability, and Transparency, said that fake news promotes nationalism, discord, conflict, and hatred, which makes it a severe problem that requires hard work and dedication to solve.
“We’ve seen over the years,” Minister Popovski said, “how damaging propaganda can be. It often promotes violence and brutality.”
All over social media, Popovski said, there have been rumors of police brutality during Sunday’s violent protests in Skopje, much like many other instances of disturbing fake news posted in the past.
Speaking about the Government’s commitment to tackling this challenge of digital disinformation, Popovski invited citizens to voice their own opinions without fear, especially regarding the upcoming name agreement referendum.
Minister of Information Society and Administration Damjan Mancevski said the goal of fake news was to spin facts and manipulate public opinion. He noted that the changes to the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services would ensure that politicians stay out of media.
“Journalists hold the key,” Mancevski said. “They should self-regulate and stick to their standards of ethics, and the government and all other political subjects must respect this.”
According to Edward Gonzalez, USAID General Development Office Director, the citizens need to make sure they get their news from various sources and think critically about the information they consume. On the other hand, Gonzalez said, the Government should promote transparency and accountability.