Written by: PETRIT SARACINI
Those in government wonder why citizens do not trust the institutions when they say that the water in Skopje is safe to drink. They forget that they themselves, for years while in opposition, spread disinformation — something for which they have also been singled out in international reports.
Now that they are in power, they are seeing just how difficult the fight against disinformation is, regardless of who is spreading it — whether it is the opposition, which they accuse of spreading panic and hysteria, or the various self-proclaimed “know-it-alls” on social media, many of whom flourished precisely because they were encouraged, and indeed at times instructed, by politics and political parties.
Now that they are in power, they say they will amend the Criminal Code and introduce penalties for the deliberate dissemination of disinformation. Yet when they were in opposition, every such proposal to modernize legislation in line with the new risks of the digital world, they met with cries of “censorship” and “dictatorship.”
But what I simply cannot stomach is the attitude of some journalistic bards and bardlets, for whom everyone else is to blame for the state of disinformation — except themselves and the media.
For years, these same people uncritically and without verification transmitted disinformation peddled by politicians, washing their hands of responsibility by claiming that they were merely reporting what others had said.
As for the disinformation spreading across the networks — whether about the Prespa Agreement, the “French proposal,” the pandemic, Ukraine… — they did not lift a finger. They argued that it was not their job. Give me a break! They even received the previous government’s plan for joint action against disinformation with hostility, rejected it without studying it, and raised the alarm that media freedom was under attack. On top of that, they also attacked fact-checkers and projects aimed at combating disinformation.
No, my dears. It is your job to expose and debunk disinformation, not to wash your hands of responsibility. Because it is not only distrust in institutions and politics that is growing, but also distrust in you (in us), the media and journalists. Numerous studies and relevant surveys in our country have been showing this for years. Yet not only do you fail to publish these alarming figures — you do not even read those reports.
Everywhere in the world, the most reputable media outlets are at the forefront of the fight against disinformation. They have entire fact-checking departments and diligently verify news reports, statements by politicians, and even their own content. The Washington Post, The New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse… understood long ago that the fight against disinformation is, above all, their fight.
Why? Because if audiences stop trusting the media and start trusting all sorts of influencers, podcasters and social-media “know-it-alls” instead, the media will lose their audiences. If they lose their audiences, they will also lose advertisers and revenue. They will have no choice but to lock the doors and shut down.
So, do not behave like ostriches. Take your heads out of the sand and start searching for the truth. Of course, that means first demanding accountability from institutions and politicians, from an education system that fails to develop critically minded citizens — but also demanding accountability within your own ranks.
And cooperate with one another — institutions, media and civil society — in a joint effort to combat disinformation. We have been asking this of you for years. Because, as we can see, this stopped being a joke a long time ago!
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The author is President of the Institute for Media and Analytics IMA
