Eight organizations are holding a joint “International Conference on Fake News” on Monday, June 17th at the Pathumwan Princess Hotel, Bangkok, to address the damage being done to society by online fake news.
The eight bodies are the Thai Media Fund (TMF), the Press Council, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, Thai PBS, the Faculty of Communication Arts of Chulalongkorn University, the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication of Thammasat University and Online News Providers Association.
On June 11th they all pledged close cooperation in the battle against fake news and the promotion of media information and digital literacy (MIDL), to transform people into digital citizens who are immune to unfounded reports.
Mr. Wasan Paileeklee, the TMF’s Chief Executive Officer and Katrin Bannach, Head of Thailand and Myanmar for the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung Thailand (FNST) will open the event today, while Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s Digital Minister, will deliver a keynote address, followed by a panel discussion on “Countering Fake News: Best Practices and Policy Implication” involving Masato Kajimoto from the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong, Nur-Azna Sanusi from Thomson Reuters, Eric Wishart from Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Mario Brandenburg from the German Bundestag (Parliament).
The afternoon session will be divided into three group discussions, to exchange ideas and experience on public policy in handling disinformation in the digital era, lessons learned about fact checking efforts and empowering digital citizenship.
Dr. Wilasinee Phiphitkul, Thai PBS director-general, will join in the discussion on public policies to handle disinformation, along with TMF’s Pana Thongmeearkom, Polawat Witoolkollachit from the Office of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission (ONDE), Jiraporn Wittayasakpan from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, Mario Brandenburg from the German Bundestag (Parliament), Saree Ongsomwang from the Foundation for Consumers and Thitirat Thipsamritkul from the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University.
