International Journalists'​ Network (IJNet)’s Post

False information is widespread in #China, due to government censorship, the “Great Firewall” and low public trust in media. Wei Xing founded China Fact Check to combat this, offering independent fact-checking. Read more here: https://buff.ly/3xY8thn #Media #FactChecking #Trust

Excerpt, Kanis Leung, Associated Press (APNews): //Four years into a crackdown on dissent that's swept up democracy-leaning journalists, activists, and politicians in this autonomously governed Chinese city, many people are tuning out the news. It's a striking sign of change in a city that used to pulse with talk, from morning conversations over newspapers in bustling dim sum restaurants to lively debates on social media throughout the day to evening discussions at dinner tables. #Pressfreedom has narrowed since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020. Francis Lee, a professor of #journalism and #communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the city's politics is a significant factor in news avoidance. In early 2023, a survey conducted by Lee's team at the Center for Communication and Public Opinion Survey found that about 4 in 10 Cantonese-speaking adults in Hong Kong agreed or strongly agreed that they sometimes want to avoid news about the changing social or political environment in Hong Kong. Lee said people who don't trust the government are likelier to tune out the news, such as #democracy supporters who tend to view the city's recent changes negatively. When people perceive the outlets as unable to perform, they are more inclined to avoid the news. "It doesn't matter if you read the news every day or catch up ten days later because you don't have a choice or a voice anyway," Iris Ng said. A public increasingly checking out means the city's remaining #civilsociety is finding it more challenging to amplify the impact of their work.// It is understandable for ordinary citizens to disconnect and disengage from local politics as they discern that their voices are no longer impactful or to impose self-censorship to remain anonymous. Critical public opinions are crucial in shaping #policies and #communities. Appeasement only encourages complacency. #censorship #geopolitics

Japan’s accidental resilience in the disinformation age The county’s insular media culture and a widespread aversion to online political speech have inadvertently acted as a kind of insulation, keeping the full heat of the disinformation firestorm at bay. According to a study by Mizuho Research and Technologies, Japanese people are exposed to less online disinformation than people in other countries and are more confident in their ability to spot lies and distortions when they come across them. Language is often seen as an information buffer. Japan is the only country where Japanese is widely understood and spoken, a fact that raises the hurdle for foreign propagandists. It’s easier to fool people when you can create convincing lies in their native language. That’s an easier task in, say, English or Chinese, which are spoken by a vast number of people around the world. Japanese people are more likely to disbelieve information they find online and they display lower levels of political engagement — both online and in the real world — than people in other countries. Most disinformation is local. Although organized global propaganda campaigns by authoritarian regimes are a real threat to the democratic world, it is domestic actors — from politicians to social media grifters — who are primarily responsible for spreading falsehoods. Such people exist in Japan, of course, but both their influence and that of foreign actors has so far been relatively limited. Japan remains a relative bastion of strength for mainstream media. Although trust in major newspapers and television networks has declined in recent years, the drop has been significantly milder than in other parts of the world. Japan ranks at or near the top for both the amount of news that people receive from mainstream sources and the likelihood that people will have confidence in those sources. Japanese use the internet for personal communication, shopping, gaming — just about anything except trumpeting their political views Japanese are retreating ever further from politics of all kinds. They feel they can’t change the system, so they focus their energies instead on their personal lives, be it career, family or leisure. People often say they are fed up with politics, but the result has been disengagement rather than angry, anti-establishment populism. The bottom line is that Japan has fared relatively well in the age of disinformation, but its accidental resilience should not be taken for granted. "Narrative warfare" is intensifying worldwide and it has real-world consequences — for democracy, security and prosperity. The stakes are too high for complacency. #news #disinformation #japan #asia #journalism

Interesting: seminar with focus on the obstacles journalists experience in trying to get (faster) access to EU documents and how to improve EU transparency. Introduction by the EU ombudsperson Emily O’Reilly

The only democracy in the Middle East.

I read the appeal to the South African public by Chairman of Independent Media and IOL Dr. Iqbal Surve. It's a story like that of the PiS government, which by appropriating the media and independent judiciary, tried to capture the minds of the Polish public, a similar situation now applies to South Africa under the ANC government. Be sure to read this text👇 https://lnkd.in/eYYRVERy

Japan’s accidental resilience in the disinformation age The county’s insular media culture and a widespread aversion to online political speech have inadvertently acted as a kind of insulation, keeping the full heat of the disinformation firestorm at bay. According to a study by Mizuho Research and Technologies, Japanese people are exposed to less online disinformation than people in other countries and are more confident in their ability to spot lies and distortions when they come across them. Language is often seen as an information buffer. Japan is the only country where Japanese is widely understood and spoken, a fact that raises the hurdle for foreign propagandists. It’s easier to fool people when you can create convincing lies in their native language. That’s an easier task in, say, English or Chinese, which are spoken by a vast number of people around the world. Japanese people are more likely to disbelieve information they find online and they display lower levels of political engagement — both online and in the real world — than people in other countries. Most disinformation is local. Although organized global propaganda campaigns by authoritarian regimes are a real threat to the democratic world, it is domestic actors — from politicians to social media grifters — who are primarily responsible for spreading falsehoods. Such people exist in Japan, of course, but both their influence and that of foreign actors has so far been relatively limited. Japan remains a relative bastion of strength for mainstream media. Although trust in major newspapers and television networks has declined in recent years, the drop has been significantly milder than in other parts of the world. Japan ranks at or near the top for both the amount of news that people receive from mainstream sources and the likelihood that people will have confidence in those sources. Japanese use the internet for personal communication, shopping, gaming — just about anything except trumpeting their political views Japanese are retreating ever further from politics of all kinds. They feel they can’t change the system, so they focus their energies instead on their personal lives, be it career, family or leisure. People often say they are fed up with politics, but the result has been disengagement rather than angry, anti-establishment populism. The bottom line is that Japan has fared relatively well in the age of disinformation, but its accidental resilience should not be taken for granted. "Narrative warfare" is intensifying worldwide and it has real-world consequences — for democracy, security and prosperity. The stakes are too high for complacency. #news #disinformation #japan #asia #journalism

Radio is not free in Hong Kong, China.

Free societies are built up by free and independent media. Sweden is increasing its support to organisations that champion independent journalists. Not least in those parts of the world where the media environment is the most repressive. Press freedom is a core Swedish interest and Sweden is the world’s third-largest donor in support of free and independent media. An unprecedented number of journalists have been killed or injured in ongoing conflicts around the world. At the same time, only 0.5% of global development assistance goes to the media sector. Over 70 countries around the world go to the polls this year, meaning that #pressfreedom is more important than ever. Yet, press freedom is being restricted. This is unacceptable. Sweden is therefore pushing for more countries to increase their support for free and independent media Including via the OECD - OCDE’s new joint principles for support to the media sector And in the #EU and United Nations. As freedom of expression comes under increasing threat, Sweden stands up for press freedom. Every day and everywhere.

Had a rather heavy conversation yesterday with a contact, the core of which was essentially about how journalists add value to the markets (or any line of reporting in fact). Having covered business and finance since 2000, looking after anything Taiwan-related and gradually into the broader regional markets, I am more than blessed to have met many kind souls along the journey, helping me piece information together to bring more transparency to the markets. Of course, that amount of kindness is admirable. It shouldn't never be taken for granted, which I never. Still, given how multi-faceted markets have evolved, one inevitably runs into market professionals who are of different views on the role of journalists. Those views deserve respect, in my view, given that people come from different backgrounds and training. Though I would also expect the respect to be reciprocal. It was a sleepless night as I chewed on the conversation, scrolling through page after page of papers trying to look for an answer. This speech transcript (https://lnkd.in/gfStYX4e) came to my attention. 'News is what someone wants suppressed. Everything else is just advertising' ~ by Sir James Bevan KCMG, UK High Commissioner to India at a journalists' meet in Delhi, Thursday 11 December 2014. While the context was about diplomats-journalists in the world of foreign relations, the same principles mentioned or hinted in the speech apply to every line of reporting. It's universal. Peace.