Tag: fake news

Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser plans to set up an "early detection unit" for foreign manipulation and influence campaigns as part of government efforts to fight right-wing extremism, publishes DPA news agency. The plan is part of a package of 13 measures which Faeser presented in Berlin on Tuesday together with the head of the domestic intelligence services, Thomas Haldenwang,...

Around three quarters (74%) of the people in North Macedonia that responded to the questions at the online poll for youngsters have answered they can recognize false news. Twenty-one percent (21%) have never thought that certain news is false, while the remaining 5% have responded that they cannot recognize false news. The online polls for young people were carried out...

North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is expecting bolder steps from the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) in the fight against disinformation and its spread in the media. These not only spread hatred, but also have a detrimental effect on the honor and dignity of individuals and also damage country's interests and wreck or derail its strategies. "From what...

Around 500 communications experts from all NATO member countries will participate in the biggest allies conference for public relations that next year should take place in Skopje, announced the Defense Minister Radmila Shekerinska - Jankovska yesterday. "The plans for NATO's communications with the general public, the fight against false news, and attacks will be built here," stressed Shekerinska. If the pandemic...

The Defense Ministry of North Macedonia will turn its Regional Center for Public Relations (RSPR) into a regional NATO Center for Fighting Fake News and Disinformation. RSPR which is known under its acronym PARC (Public Affairs Regional Centre), since 2013 has been accredited by NATO as a partner center for education and training. "We shall specialize in the spirit of...

The fake news and sophisticated disinformations phenomenons are now extensively recognized as a substantial problem that even the most well-developed societies continue to face. The appearance of COVID-19 pandemic has actualized the discussion on this problem, after people, non-formal organizations, or even governments, are reported to have been behind the use of misinformation to flourish amidst the panic and push...

Global Voices published an English version of a story of Istinomer (Truth-O-Meter), a fact-checking initiative of the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), , which meta.mk republishes as part of a content-sharing agreement. The developments involving the arrest and release of journalist Ana Lalić for “spreading panic and inciting unrest” after she reported on the lack of protection equipment at a hospital in...

Year 2020 brought a swift proliferation of the coronavirus and the disease it causes - COVID-19, which unveiled or pointed out some other serious problems that the world was suffering from, but most of us were choosing to hide them under the carpet. As the virus tightened its grip, disinformation activity resurfaced and got back in playing an important...

As the world is struggling to deal with one of the most far-reaching crisis in decades, and many aspects of regular life have been compromised around the globe, a certain group of people have been sharpening their swords, so to speak. Or typing more on their computers, while the crisis unfolds. COVID-19, a shortened denomination of 'coronavirus disease 2019', triggered...

Since the humankind’s first moment of awareness of its existence, it has been prone to abusing the communications for spreading gossip and, inevitably, lies. The renowned Israeli author and history professor Yuval Noah Harari argues in his book Sapiens: A brief History of Humankind that gossip is the foundation of our species' survival and stands as one of the main...

Jamajka recognized the independence of Kosovo - the news that yesterday echoed throughout the media in Kosovo and the region, just a few hours later proved as incorrect. The media almost identically broadcasted the news, quoting the announcement found on the Twitter-profile of the Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, announcement followed by notifications from the highest Kosovo officials. It took nine...

Η Τζαμάικα αναγνώρισε την ανεξαρτησία του Κοσόβου – είδηση η οποία χθες επαναλήφθηκε πολλές φορές από τα μέσα μαζικής ενημέρωσης του Κοσόβου, αλλά και της ευρύτερης περιοχής και μόνο μερικές ώρες αργότερα αποδείχθηκε ότι είναι αναληθής. Τα μέσα ενημέρωσης μετέφεραν την είδηση αυτή σχεδόν με τον ίδιο τρόπο, επικαλούμενα ανακοίνωση στο Twiter προφίλ του Κοσοβάρου Προέδρου Χάσιμ Τάτσι, ακολουθούμενη...

At the height of disinformation dissemination, journalists in Kosovo argue that reporting challenges throughout the region have increased immensely. The professionals argue that the media outlets who do not have physical presence throughout the Balkans should pay extra care to filtering the information they republish but should also be very cautious which media outlets' content they republish. The multiple award winning...

The fact-checking service Faktograf has reported on October 31 that the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts of the Republic of Croatia has given around 14.5 thousand dollars in subsidies from EU structural funds to the portal Dnevno.hr, “one of the leading producers of disinformation in  the Croatian media space.”  The money from the European fund for Regional Development  was granted for  redesign of their website...

RTL Croatia's journalist, Damira Gregoret, whose specialty is politics, is a reporter, news anchor and hosts political shows. Not long ago the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, apologized to her for saying "You are so sweet Damira" instead of replying to her question he didn't like. What followed was a public apology to Gregoret. We talked with her about...

Robert Boteri, the Creative director of the Mladina magazine in Slovenia, has been for decades a part of this cult magazine, which in former Yugoslavia was renowned for its avant-garde content, most often with controversial subjects. In April this year, there was a diplomatic incident when Mladina published a front cover with a caricature of Hungarian Prime Minister Victor...

Fires are natural catastrophes that could be fatal for human lives, the fauna and the vegetation. They stir deep emotions and the public wants to be correctly and timely informed. Even though fires are tragic events, the creators of fake news did not miss the opportunity to take advantage of such situations. This summer two huge fires in the world...

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, announcing the draft for a plan for combatting the disinformation and fake news, at press conference yesterday pointed out that misinformation and disinformation about North Macedonia, in addition to a part of the local media, is also spread by other countries. "The Republic of North Macedonia in the past two years on a number of occasions...

Theodoros Daniilidis is the founder, and Thanos Sitistas is the editor of “Ellinika Hoaxes”, the most famous website in Greece that debunks disinformation and fake news. It has been doing that in the past six years, since 2013. In the interview for “Meta.mk”, Daniilidis and Sitistas say that the Greeks are pretty prone to believe fake news, but also...

Ivan Georgiev is reporter and anchor of bTV, one of Bulgaria’s main TV stations. He has covered some of the leading international and regional events in the past few years,  Macedonia included to a large extent. Ivan is author of numerous short documentaries. In 2012 he was awarded with the World Press Institute Fellowship. He is also holder of several...