5th October 2018
By Tom Law

Exploring the Battlefronts of ‘Fake News’: A Tripartite Approach to the Fight Against Misinformation

9th ASEF Editors’ Roundtable (ASEFERT9)

Date: 15-16 October 2018

Venue: Brussels Press Club

Organiser: Asia Europe Foundation

Website: https://asef.org/projects/9th-asef-editors-roundtable-asefert9/

The EJN’s President and Founder, Aidan White, spoke on the panel on ‘Maintaining Truth and Trust in Media in the Digital Age’. His key message was:

“Ethics, good governance and self-regulation are essential for the future of journalism. News media are actively working to strengthen journalism, and they need to act quickly given falling public confidence.”

The following description is taken from the event’s website. 

Misinformation is an age-old concept that has been around for as long as news itself. Having assumed various forms over the course of history – from propaganda campaigns to spin doctoring – it has once again been cast into the international spotlight, brandishing a new title: ‘fake news’.

Held in conjunction with the 12th ASEM Summit (ASEM12), the 9th ASEF Editors’ Roundtable (ASEFERT9) is the 2018 edition of a 2-day biennial forum aimed at promoting dialogue, strengthening ties and cross-continental cooperation between 20-30 news editors from across Asia and Europe.

In recognising the complexities of the issue and the necessity of a comprehensive multi-stakeholder approach, ASEFERT9 will include representatives from news media, policy-making, tech companies and civil society to create a robust discussion and provide for diversity of opinion.

The intended outcome of the 2-day forum is a detailed report on how ‘fake news’ is being fought from a tri-sectorial approach in individual countries across Asia and Europe. Through the resulting discussions, a series of country reports as well as an agreement on key principles to further action will be compiled and published for online distribution and submitted to the ASEM governments.