The Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media met on Wednesday 26th June for another meeting on “the State’s response to online disinformation and media / digital literacy, including social media and fake news”.
Invited witnesses included officials from Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media; representatives from the Working Group on National Counter Disinformation Strategy; representatives from An Garda Síochána; and representatives from Coimisiún na Meán.
Dr Eileen Culloty (as a member) and Martina Chapman (as independent chair) represented the Working Group on National Counter Disinformation Strategy. In her opening statement (printed below), Martina Chapman provided context for how the national strategy approaches the issue of disinformation.
The wide-reading discussion covered issues such as encryption, AI, and regulatory oversight of platforms. Read a report of the session in TheJournal here.
Opening Statement by Martina Chapman, Independent Chair of the National Counter Disinformation Strategy Working Group.
Cathaoirleach, Members of the Committee,
Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today as Independent Chair of the National Counter Disinformation Working Group. I’m joined by Dr. Eileen Culloty who is a member of the Working Group.Disinformation is concerning because it deceives citizens, distorts evidence, and undermines the democratic process. But this is not new.
Powerful actors have always weaponised disinformation and used it for financial gain, political influence, and social notoriety. What is new is how the attention economies of online platforms are able to propel disinformation faster and further than ever before, aided by personal data and algorithmic systems which can exploit the fears and concerns of people to hijack and distort democratic, public debate.
What is also new is how information is created. Some information is produced by media or individuals that adhere to rules and regulations, and some information is produced by media or individuals that do not. The difference is not always well understood, making it harder to judge the reliability or accuracy of information. This situation is made worse by attacks on journalists and researchers who investigate disinformation. There are also other factors which can make individuals vulnerable to disinformation narratives which are outlined in the Working Group Subgroup reports available online.For all that, we must remember that disinformation can be subjective and a matter of debate. It is not always possible to establish clear-cut facts and some issues are fundamentally matters of ideology and opinion. In a free society, people are entitled to express and believe things that are incorrect.
Across the EU, disinformation is understood as ‘legal, but harmful’ content and states can mitigate that harm in different ways. Countering disinformation is clearly a cross-policy issue that requires a coordinated approach. This is evidenced by the range of representatives on the Working Group. I would like to thank Seamus, Paul, Kevin and Eve from the Department for providing the secretariat support to the Working Group. The Working Group is in the process of developing a national strategy. The purpose of which is not to decide what is and isn’t disinformation. Neither is it to call for new legislation.
The purpose of the strategy is to adopt a rights-based approach to countering disinformation and encourage cross-sector cooperation, collaboration and coordination to achieve better outcomes all
round. The strategy is likely to include a number of specific recommended actions around the themes of media literacy, research, promoting trust in media, and effective implementation of existing
legislation. The Working Group operates by consensus and agreement so the recommended actions are been designed in conjunction with the bodies who will have responsibility for delivering them. I would like to thank Working Group members for their engagement in this process and hope that continues over time.Disinformation is a dynamic and ever-evolving problem and our response to it must also be dynamic and ever-evolving. So, this strategy should be viewed as the first step in a much longer-term process
and will require monitoring and updating on a regular basis in response to global, national and local developments.
Thank you.
