ASEAN connects journalists and media outlets to jointly respond to and address fake news.

On the morning of September 19th, the ASEAN regional forum on responding to and addressing misinformation in cyberspace took place in Da Nang City. The purpose of the forum was to create an open exchange space among state management agencies, the press, cross-border platforms, and other stakeholders to mitigate the harm caused by fake news.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam delivered the opening remarks at the forum on combating fake news in Da Nang. Photo: Thuy Trang

Speaking at the forum, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam – Deputy Minister of Information and Communications – said that from 2017 to the present, regarding the issue of misinformation and fake news, ASEAN has issued many statements and activities to raise awareness of the harm caused, such as programs and workshops to share policies on managing and handling fake news; and campaigns to improve digital literacy among the public to enhance understanding and mutual learning among electronic information management agencies.

In particular, at the 14th AMRI Ministerial Meeting, the Ministers adopted the Framework and Joint Statement on Reducing the Harm of Fake News, providing a common reference framework for ASEAN member states to enhance cooperation, share information, and propose feasible solutions to address the rampant spread of fake news and its negative impact, for the benefit of the ASEAN people.

Forum on combating fake news held in Da Nang on the morning of September 19. Photo: Thuy Trang

In 2022, the 19th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Information (SOMRI) officially adopted Vietnam's initiative to establish the ASEAN Task Force on Fake News.

However, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam stated: "Activities in this phase have only focused on sharing policies and experiences among state management agencies, and have not yet expanded to include media outlets – which participate in strengthening official information dissemination, detecting, publishing, and correcting fake news... or research institutions and media units participating as independent research and verification organizations, or cross-border social media service providers."

Therefore, organizing the ASEAN Regional Forum on Responding to and Addressing Disinformation in Cyberspace aims to create an open exchange space among government agencies, the press, cross-border platforms, and stakeholders to affirm ASEAN countries' determination to minimize the harm of fake news, towards ASEAN's common effort to build a healthy and trustworthy information space for its people.”

The forum included representatives from the electronic information management agencies of eight ASEAN countries; representatives from ASEAN press agencies; representatives from several cross-border platforms such as Google and TikTok; and representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat.

The forum has two main sections: ASEAN countries' joint efforts to combat and address fake news and misinformation; recommendations for future measures; experiences from countries in the region and media organizations; policies promoting digital literacy and media policies from some ASEAN countries, as well as platform policies on handling fake news and misinformation and guidance on online safety.

In addition, delegates will discuss recommendations and cooperative measures to respond to and address fake news and misinformation in cyberspace: promoting cooperation within the ASEAN region, between governments and local authorities of ASEAN member countries and social media platforms.

laodong.vn