Programme | Keep it Real: Truth and Trust in the Media

Keep it Real: Truth and Trust in the Media

19 Jun 2017
Singapore Management University (School of Law)
Singapore

Programme | Keep it Real: Truth and Trust in the Media

Programme

Sessions

June 19
Lundi

  • 08:00

    Registration

    All guests are to be seated by 08:45am

  • 09:00

    Welcome Remarks

    Intervenants 

  • 09:10

    Opening address

    Keynote 

    • Minister for Home Affairs & Minister for Law
  • 09:30

    Session 1: Truth & Trust in the digital age: the various faces of misinformation

    From deliberate hoaxes created to cause mischief, manipulate opinions and votes or make money, to media outlets re-circulating unverified or erroneous content, the misinformation ecosystem can take ​on ​many different faces. What are the propaganda techniques used to shift public opinion on key issues? What is the impact of fake news on the functioning of modern democracies?

    Moderator 

    • Editor-in-Chief, The Straits Times & SPH's English/Malay/Tamil Media Group, Singapore

    The weaponization of the internet

    In the Philippines, paid trolls, bots and fake accounts on social media are used to manipulate real people and discredit trustworthy news sources. How can the news media fight back?

    Intervenants 

    Impact of misinformation on politics

    From the American presidential elections to the fall of Jakarta’s Christian governor “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, what is the real impact of misinformation on politics? What are the consequences for a democratic society?

    Intervenants 

    • Managing Editor, News Strategy and Operations, Asia, Reuters

    Trust and Regulating the New Communication Environment in a Post-Truth Age

    Fake news has been and is a complex reality. Regulating it, even in the public interest, involves legitimate concerns of potential intrusions to free speech and weakening the ability of a society to discern, be resilient in the so-called market place of ideas that is crucial in the nourishment and vitality of any society. A multi-stakeholder approach is needed to nurture trust in the various institutions that traditionally has been the bulwark against the forces that seek to divide us."

    Intervenants 

  • 10:30

    Morning Coffee Break

  • 11:00

    Session 2: News publishers: How the fact-checking pros deal with fake news?

    News publishers around the world are constantly upgrading their skills, tools and processes in order to adapt their fact-checking practices and journalism standards to a challenging digital environment. Newspapers and news websites are also actively collaborating with tech companies and journalism schools through fact-checking networks enabled by digital collaborative platforms.

    Moderator 

    Fact-checking the French presidential elections

    CrossCheck is a collaborative journalism project launched in France by First Draft News. It brings together newsrooms across France and beyond to accurately report false, misleading and confusing claims that circulate online. AFP was one of the key drivers of the project. How did it operate to cover the recent French presidential elections? What lessons can news publishers draw from this innovative initiative? 

    Intervenants 

    Investigative journalism for the German-speaking world

    Correctiv is a nonprofit investigative newsroom for the German-speaking world. Its goal is to give citizens access to information and to make investigative and informative journalism affordable and accessible to media organizations throughout Germany.

    Intervenants 

    Fact Checking in Singapore

    Getting the facts right is a core principle of journalism. As fake news continues to proliferate, including on social media and alternative news sites, journalists can do more and do better in calling out fake news, debunking it, and educating readers about facts. How has The Straits Times handled information that purported to be true but was actually false, and stepped up checks?

    Intervenants 

    Fake news in Bangladesh: a question of life or death

    Up to 79 court cases have been filed last year against the editor of Bangladesh’s most popular English language newspaper after he admitted having mistakenly published uncorroborated allegations of corruption against the country’s current prime minister.

    Intervenants 

    • Editor and Publisher, The Daily Star, Bangladesh
  • 12:30

    Lunch

  • 13:30

    Session 3: The role of tech companies for improving the digital news ecosystem

    Social media networks and search engines are among the most popular channels of content distribution and consumption in developed countries. It is naturally on these platforms that misinformation first surfaces and spreads. From direct actions on their own assets to the offering of tech tools, collaborative platforms and partnerships with news media and fact-checking networks, tech companies such as Facebook and Google are at the forefront of the fight against misinformation.

    Moderator 

    Storyful: Social media news verification in real time

    A pioneer in the investigation and verification of social news in real time, Storyful provides content and editorial services to publishers hungry for verified social content and information. What solutions does such an organization recommends for tackling the current misinformation crisis?

    Intervenants 

    Google News Lab tools and initiatives for fact-checking and verification

    Google News Lab is working with the news industry to improve trust in journalism and fight misinformation online. The internet has empowered people across the world to create content and engage in eyewitness reporting at a scale never before possible. But it’s also made it harder to separate fact from fiction. We want to help newsrooms benefit from the wealth of information available by helping journalists verify information online using the latest digital tools and tactics. That's why we helped to cofound First Draft, a nonprofit coalition formed in 2015 to raise awareness and address challenges relating to trust and truth in the digital age. Together, we have trained hundreds of journalists across Asia-Pacific on the latest tools and tactics to fact-check and verify information online. News Lab is also working to help newsrooms implement Google's "Fact Check" label, which identifies articles in Google Search and Google News that include information fact checked by news publishers and fact-checking organizations.

    Intervenants 

    The Facebook Journalism Project

    Facebook’s endeavour to develop a social infrastructure that will give people the power to build a global community would be vain if the widespread of misinformation deprives us of the shared sense of reality that is required for building common projects.The social media network has therefore pledged to fight fake news and expressed its belief that a strong news industry is critical to building an informed community.

    Intervenants 

    • Strategic Partnerships, Facebook
  • 15:00

    Afternoon Coffee Break

  • 15:30

    Session 4: Empowering the civil society for fighting misinformation

    According to a Stanford University study, most US students are not able to make the difference between a fake news and a verified information published by a trustworthy news brand. The development of media literacy programs and initiatives adapted to the new digital ecosystem is therefore a high priority. The education of citizens to a savvy consumption of digital content and the adoption of good practices in the creation and distribution of such content is a responsibility shared by many players of the civil society.

    Moderator 

    • Fiona Chan
      Head of Analytics, Customer Experience and Business Operations, Singapore Press Holdings

    A Cyber News Verification Lab powered by media students

    Hong Kong University undergraduate students taking two foundation courses - Principles of Journalism and the News Media, and Reporting and Writing - practice their fact checking skills on real life cases by contribution to a verification lab powered by innovative collaborative tools.

    Intervenants 

    • Lecturer, Journalism & Media Studies Centre, Hong Kong University

    The Role of Media Literacy in Combating Fake News

    The Media Literacy Council encourages citizens to be smart and discerning online, through the promotion of core values of empathy, respect, responsibility and integrity. It runs an annual Better Internet campaign, as well as programmes and events to cater to different stakeholder groups.

    Intervenants 

    Elves vs Trolls: Lessons from citizen activists in the battle against misinformation

    The threats that misinformation represents to sensitive political events such as electoral processes has triggered citizen activists to build up from scratch fact-checking initiatives manned by volunteers. These informal organisations are playing a growing role for tackling the fake news challenge.

    Intervenants 

     Journalism values at the service of readers

    Journalism values are little discussed but they are more relevant than ever in this new context of information overload and fake news. Established news organisations have a role to play in keeping these values alive, by training young journalists in the craft, upholding standards and also engaging members of the public, including students, on the values behind the news.

    Intervenants 

    • Associate Opinion Editor, The Straits Times
  • 17:30

    Break out session: Fact-checking tools for journalists

    Track content with CrowdTangle

    This session will take a close look at how you can source trending content and see where false news stories got shared across the social web. CrowdTangle’s Chrome Extension, which you can download now, is an easy way to see how often a link has been shared, who shared it, how influential they are and what they said. It shows you the aggregate share counts, as well as the specific Facebook Page posts, Tweets and Subreddits that shared any URL you want to check. CrowdTangle also helps you measure the performance and impact of your own content and competitors across social media. Since its acquisition by Facebook in December 2016, CrowdTangle is now free of cost and used by hundreds of newspapers, television stations, digital media outlets, investigative journalists, entertainment companies, sports teams and nonprofits all over the world.

    Intervenants 

    Google News Lab tools and tactics

    This session will take a close look at the search, research and mapping tools from Google and elsewhere that help journalists to verify photos, videos and other online information.

    Intervenants 

  • 17:30

    Break out session: Researching the past to contextualise the present

    The myriad of library and archival materials from the National Library Board offers a wide range of content and perspectives for the information seekers. For instance, while the Formula One Grand Prix has been one of the highlights for locals and tourists alike in the last decade, did you know that the history of the Singapore Grand Prix dates back to the 1960s? And to fully appreciate the city’s greenery, it would be worthwhile to note that there had been attempts to introduce nature reserves in Singapore from as early as 1930s. Join our librarian and archivist as they share about the scope of our historical collection and how the resources can provide fresh insights into present-day Singapore.

    Intervenants 

    • Senior Librarian, National Library
    • Assistant Archivist, National Archives Singapore

June 20
Mardi

  • 08:00

    Breakfast with Google News Lab

    Location: 
    Singapore Management University (SMU), Law School

    Please join Google News Lab for breakfast, where Irene Jay Liu, who leads News Lab's efforts in Asia-Pacific, will share how they are collaborating with journalists and entrepreneurs at the intersection of media and technology across the region.

    All registered participants in the Keep it Real conference are warmly welcome to join this session of special interest for journalists, reporters, editors and tech media entrepreneurs. As seats for this event are limited, please pre register by e-mail at: [email protected].

  • 08:55

    WORKSHOPS

    Separate registration required

    Following the discussions on June 19, the second day of the present event will feature a series of workshops which will gather experts and key players in the field of fact-checking, news literacy and media policy. Participants in these workshops will design concrete actions and launch projects for effectively fight misinformation in their respective spheres of competence. Invitations to the workshops can be requested by email at [email protected].

  • 09:00

    Workshop 1 – Fact-checking

    Aimed at senior editors and news publishers, this workshop will discuss internal measures that leading newspapers and information website should adopt to strengthen their practices and the opportunity to create an Asian fact-checking network and/or to collaborate with international networks.

    Moderator 

    • Fiona Chan
      Head of Analytics, Customer Experience and Business Operations, Singapore Press Holdings

    Insight: Lessons from the First Draft News Initiative

    Claire Wardle, First Draft News (via Skype link)

    Intervenants 

    Round table discussion

    • Gaurav Keerthi, Founder, Confirm.sg
    • John Nery, Editor in Chief, Inquirer.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer
    • Mahfuz Anam, Editor and Publisher, The Daily Star
    • Esther Ng Sek Yee, Executive Editor, The Star
    • Nejolla Korris, CEO, InterVeritas Intl
    • Yuyun Wirawati Ishak, Head, Information Services, Singapore Management University
    • Irene Jay Liu, News Lab Lead, APAC, Google
    • Audrey Quek, Foreign Editor, The Straits Times
    • Endy Bayuni, Editor in Chief, The Jakarta Post
    • Wang Simin, Asst Manager, NUS, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine HR Dept.
    • More participants to be confirmed
  • 09:00

    Workshop 2 – News Literacy

    This workshop will gather university professors, high school teachers, government agencies and media practitioners that are involved in news media literacy. It aims at designing new campaigns and initiatives for improving information media and info literacy, especially among the youth.

    Moderator 

    • Lecturer, Journalism & Media Studies Centre, Hong Kong University

    Insight: Overview of the World Digital News Literacy Project

    Intervenants 

    Round table discussion

    • Prof. Gregor Halff, Professor of Corporate Communication Practice and Deputy Dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University
    • Nejolla Korris, CEO, InterVeritas International
    • Rajen Munoo, Head, Learning Services & Research Librarian, Singapore Management University
    • Karolin Schwarz Founder Hoaxmap.org and fact-checker Correctiv
    • Anne Toh, Senior Manager, NUS, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine HR Dept.
    • Ruo Yu LIOW, Officer, Ministry of Information and Communications
    • More participants to be confirmed
  • 09:00

    Workshop 3 - Media policy

    This workshop’s round table discussion will focus on the civic and political implications of new communication technologies. It will seek to define legislative and regulatory actions that should inspire policy makers for adequately tackling the challenge of misinformation in the digital age.

    Moderator 

    Insight: Planting fake news – A propaganda exercise

    Intervenants 

    • Associate Professor, Coordinator of MSc (International Relations) Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University

    Round table discussion

    • Prof Ang Peng Hwa, Professor, Nayang Technology University
    • Dr. Marko Skoric, Associate Professor, University of Hong Kong
    • Shawn Goh, Research Assistant, NUS Institute of Policy Studies
    • Loh Seow May Samantha, Deputy Director, Civil Service College
    • Karen Au Yong, Deputy Director, Civil Service College
    • Ksenia Duxfield-Karyakina, Public Policy Strategy & Operations, Google
    • Lih Shiun Goh, Head of Public Policy, Singapore, Google
    • Kwangjun Heo, Policy Director, Open Net Korea
    • Ang Kwee Jin Kenny, Assistant Manager, Civil Service College
    • Keng Kam NGIAM, Officer, Ministry of Information and Communications
    • Sharron Fast, Professor of Media Law, University of Hong Kong
  • 11:00

    Morning Coffee Break

  • 11:30

    Plenary session

    Co-Chairs:

    Intervenants 

    Summary of the workshops round table discussions and presentation of the event’s closing resolutions

    Intervenants 

    • Fiona Chan
      Head of Analytics, Customer Experience and Business Operations, Singapore Press Holdings
    • Lecturer, Journalism & Media Studies Centre, Hong Kong University
    • Associate Professor, Singapore Management University, School of Law
  • 12:30

    End of programme, followed by networking LUNCH

Keep it Real: Truth and Trust in the Media

Contact 

Shariff