Session
Organizer 1: Tatevik Hovhannisyan, Warsaw Euro-Atlantic Summer Academy
Speaker 1: Armen Grigoryan, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Speaker 2: Adam Reichardt, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Speaker 3: Elmas Hasanovikj, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Adam Reichardt, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Tatevik Hovhannisyan, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Deheryan Suren, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Break-out Group Discussions - Round Tables - 90 Min
1. What are the possible solutions? To which extent are fact-checking initiatives and other current methods of dealing with political disinformation and hate speech effective?
2. How governments and civil society actors can improve strategic communication?
Connection with previous Messages:
4. Quality Education
4.4
4.7
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
16.1
16.10
16.8
Targets: The break-out group discussion also touches upon two of the UN SDGs: SDG4: Quality education and SDG16 Peace, justice and strong institutions. They are strictly connected with each other.
Fake news have become the viruses of the 21st century that grow and spread rapidly. It is of urgent necessity to find a virtual vaccine - and the best one is proper education (SDG 4.4 and 4.7) which can be taken in the form of lifelong learning for adults, in this case, especially for the stakeholders as they are the decision makers and for the young generation as they are the future decision makers. Many state institutions in the region are not fully equipped with necessary knowledge, tools and skills to effectively fight the fake news.
Having quality education in the sphere of digital security both at the personal and state levels will guarantee the functioning of strong institutions, which can better address the national security of the country in general. At the same time, it is of greatest need for the institutions to learn, develop and agree on common norms of conduct in the digital and cyber space. Internationally adopted norms of conduct in cyberspace will bring concrete and predictable rules and regulations on which parties, including state and non-state actors, citizens of states and general public will agree on peaceful coexistence in cyberspace (SDG16.1).
Another aspect that we cover is related to the SDG16.8: “Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance”, because in particularly we will address the needs and demands of small states, since lack of sufficient human and financial resources risks sustainable development of not only these countries but slows down economic progression of the world.
Moreover, we will encourage institutions to provide quality educational materials for further exploring media space and regulations, supply, participate get trustful, full and inclusive information SDG16.10
To have strong institutions we need to make input in quality education and by saying quality education we mean
- regular, which is for the future decision makers,
- lifelong learning, which can be done through active collaboration between states with obtaining the best practices and implementation in the home countries by the decision makers.
Description:
The spread of fake news, the amplification and weaponisation of hate speech, and foreign factors in digital disinformation – first and foremost, authoritarian countries’ malicious interference with democratic institutions and processes – cast a shadow over the integrity of public debate and elections, and undermine citizens’ trust in democratic institutions, while also negatively impacting the accuracy and reliability of the information that feeds public opinion.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the onset of war in Europe exacerbated the global retreat of democracy, brought further polarisation and new challenges, and highlighted the importance of responsible media and access to verified information.
The session will start with the general introduction on the topic and invite the participants for a practical part of the workshop: detect fake news within the break-out groups led by the moderators/speaker. 3 break out groups are anticipated to organized one of which will be held online with a moderator. After this phase, the groups will share their experience in detecting fake news after which the speaker will summarize the workshop by presenting the key definition and differences of disinformation and misinformation as well as providing with practical tools how to detect fake news at personal and state levels.
The speaker will elaborate a policy paper with recommendations, which will be disseminated among WEASA and IGF stakeholders, workshop participants, as well as several governmental stakeholders, relevant think tanks and civil society organisations. The expert will also organise presentations of the paper (including online format, for the workshop participants).
Hybrid Format: During the break-out group discussion it is anticipated to use some data about fake news, for which a screen will be needed. A powerpoint presentation can also be shared online (alternatively, the presentation may feature the prezi.com platform).
Another tool like mentimeter will be used to keep the audience alive and interactive with asking them questions about their perception of fake news. All tools mentioned are tested and inclusive because they are convenient both for online and onsite meetings.
Usage of IGF Official Tool.