Fake news does not exist, something is either news or a lie: Author’s text by Gordana Novaković from the Press Council

(Source: Danas) “The news” that the juvenile serial killer tried to escape and that he was barely prevented from doing so, which was found before the Press Council’s Complaints Commission at the last session, was the latest in a long series of misinformation, semi-information, manipulations, and even complete fabrications related to the terrible tragedy in the Belgrade elementary school “Vladislav Ribnikar”.

It began with the publication of “information” that the wounded teacher had died and that blood for injured children could not be given by those who received Covid-19 vaccines. Unfortunately, the end is not visible even after a few months. The news we decided on was published on at least three portals, and after the denial of the Ministry of the Interior was removed only from one – the one that first published the “exclusive”.

And in this case, what one of the members of the Commission defined as the standard pattern of spreading fake news in our media – they download texts from each other, refer to each other’s (as a rule, unreliable) media and thus create the illusion that there is some relevant source and that someone checked something before publication.

I belong to that “old” school of journalism that believes that fake news does not exist. Something is either news or a lie. The motive for publishing lies (political or economic interest) is less important to me, as is whether the media has taken them over from politicians, conspiracy theorists, alleged insiders, fraudsters or those who just want to be funny and entertaining. The responsibility lies with the newsrooms that convey them, and the consequences are always devastating, for the information of citizens about what they need to know and consequently, for the decisions they make. And perhaps even more so, for trust in journalists and media and consequently, for the future of the profession.

A survey published late last year by Demostat showed that citizens, participants of the focus group, believe they know where fake news comes from, what channels and motives are for its placement and dissemination, but they are not always able to recognize it. Blinded by a huge amount of information and do not have time to devote to its verification. As the most prominent actors in creating fake news, they labeled politicians. Respondents also generally believe that Serbia is high on the scale of countries with undisturbed spreading of disinformation. According to one slightly older IREX survey in Serbia, one fake news is transmitted as many as 927 times. To make matters worse, it’s mostly mainstream media.

Monitoring of the Press Council shows that nine daily newspapers with national coverage in the last three months of last year alone violated 538 times the first chapter of the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Conduct relating to the truth fulfilment of reporting. The media more often violated only the chapter relating to the responsibility of journalists.

Fake news is not, of course, a local phenomenon and a large number of countries have already passed laws trying to solve the problem or at least minimize it. Some by raising the level of media literacy, others by punishing the production and spread of fake news. I am always afraid of these other interventions of the state and any attempt to bring order to the media that comes from the authorities. At least in this country, it is not necessary to explain to anyone what repressive media laws can lead to and how devastating it is for freedom of the press and the public interest.

Even less, however, I can support the current position of the Serbian authorities, namely the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, which seems to believe that media that do not respect professional standards should be rewarded. Contrary to all the efforts of the Press Council and most of the media community to sanction the unprofessionalism, unethicality and irresponsibility of the media, publishing and spreading lies by denying them money from citizens of Serbia, the Ministry is trying to legitimize their right to lie to the same citizens. Simply by saying – I do not recognize the journalistic code, I do not recognize the Press Council and nothing obliges me to respect any professional standards. And that’s why you’re going to pay me for every lie published.

Author: Gordana Novaković