Regional campaign “Truth Matters” about the dangers of disinformation and hate speech
Truth plays a key role in preserving democracy and social integrity, and the regional campaign “Truth Matters” is vital to inform the citizens of Southeast Europe and Turkey about the dangers posed by disinformation and hate speech, both online and offline.
The regional campaign, implemented by the Press Council of Serbia, together with six regional press councils, will be promoted today, May 3, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, and is part of the project “Building Trust in the Media in South East Europe: Supporting Journalism as a Public Good”, which includes the countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey, and which is supported by the EU and UNESCO. The project aims to support freedom of expression in the region.
As part of the campaign, two videos have been created that aim to inform citizens about how they can act if they or someone they know is a victim of hate speech or disinformation. The videos also promotes the importance of professional and ethical journalism for any democratic society, especially for communities facing widespread media abuse. In this context, the role of media self-regulation and the work of press councils in the fight against disinformation and hate speech was particularly emphasized.
Data showing that fake news reaches citizens six times faster than true news, and that 73 percent of them believe rumors more than official information, are alarming and require immediate action.
That is why in our campaign we especially emphasize “fighters for the truth” – journalists who consistently follow the principles of the Code of Ethics, striving for integrity, professionalism and responsibility in journalism.
We call on citizens to be active in the fight against disinformation and hate speech and to contact the Press Council of Serbia if they believe and recognize that they or someone else is a victim of unethical reporting in the media through [email protected] and [email protected] e-mail addresses