Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport & Media publishes its Report on the State’s response to online disinformation and media/digital literacy, including social media and fake news

Speaking on the release of the Report, Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Niamh Smyth TD said “The manipulation of facts and the spread of false and misleading claims is by no means a new phenomenon. What is new, however, is the remarkable volume of information we are exposed to daily and the speed at which it disseminates in the age of social media. While the opportunities for free expression and exchange of ideas offered by a fair and open online environment are immense, the risks to our democracy and social cohesion posed by growing levels of disinformation has been a recurring theme in the Joint Committee’s work during this Dáil term.”

The Cathaoirleach said “The Committee presents this report in the hope that it will add to our understanding of the threats posed by disinformation and the approaches that can be taken to strengthen our resilience against it. Our recommendations are based on the principles that disinformation and media literacy are multifaceted issues that require a collaborative and coordinated approach, underpinned by robust research, and containing a range of measures and interventions.”

Read the full Report  

Among some of the Key Recommendations contained in the Report are:

·       The Committee recommends that the Minister ensures regulators are equipped to fully implement and enforce the transparency provisions of the Digital Services Act, and to position Ireland’s tech sector as a hub with world class standards in transparency and researcher data access.

·       The Committee recommends establishment of a dedicated entity to provide independent and transparent insights into day-to-day disinformation trends in order to inform the work of state bodies, journalists, civil society actors and academic researchers.

·       The Committee recommends that, as a matter of urgency, that the Minister engage with cabinet colleagues to ensure all regulatory tools currently available are robustly implemented, all necessary resources are mobilised, and particular regulatory vigilance against disinformation is applied in relation to any electoral events in the near future.

·       The Committee recommends that the Minister engage with Coimisiún na Meán and with social media platforms to encourage the full implementation of the recommendations of the report of the Task Force on Safe Participation in Political Life.

·       The Committee recommends that any strategy to deal with disinformation should contain a range of measures and interventions and be resourced accordingly, that the Department engage in ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of various countermeasures, and that the strategy should be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis.

·       The Committee reiterates the recommendations adopted in its report Future Business Model Plans and Long-Term Vision for the Media Sector, in support of a thriving and pluralistic media sector which produces high quality public service content and contributes to the resilience of the information landscape in Ireland.

Read more about the work done by The Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media  

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