PACIFIC media, civil society and universities are being urged to unite in the fight against misinformation and disinformation as a new regional platform seeks development support to expand its work.
Speaking at the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) Summit in Savusavu yesterday, Cook Islands News editor Rashneel Kumar said Check Pacific was being developed as a collaborative platform to verify rumours, public statements and other information circulating across the region.
“We have formed something called Check Pacific, which is a platform where we want our civil society, media practitioners and universities to come together to actually battle this misinformation and disinformation,” Kumar said.
He said discussions with development partners had been positive, with some recognising the need for the initiative.
“They have been very positive about it and receptive to the idea.
“They see the value of what we are trying to introduce, and we might have further conversations with them to see what sort of support we can get.”
Kumar said misinformation and disinformation were regional issues that required a collective response.
“The good thing is that they realise there is an issue, and everyone knows that.”
He said financial and other support for Check Pacific could help strengthen efforts across the Pacific.
“They (development partners) can see that if there is some sort of support that could be given to this organisation, it would actually help the whole region.”
Kumar encouraged development partners and other interested organisations to visit CheckPacific.com, examine the platform and discuss ways to support its development.
“We are happy to talk to them and discuss further how we can get this off the ground.”
