https://www.un.org/en/sdgmediazone/unga79/live
Mira Milosevic, Executive Director, Global Fund for Media Development, said her organization has been lobbying for media freedom to be included in the SDGs and has had some success with target 16.10 to Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements. She is happy with the newly adopted Pact for the Future and especially the Global Digital Compact, which takes digital safety and information integrity much further.
She added that the market solution that supported quality content has collapsed. The media landscape is rigged for short engagement and click bait, not for loyalty or long form engagement. Solutions include subsidizing journalism, market regulation, monitoring mechanisms and international solidarity.
Fridah Naliaka Simiyu, 2024 Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellow, said that she feels attacks from all sides, including from the audience, which is fed mis- and disinformation that erodes trust in the media. She mentioned that the digital divide is an obstacle in fighting disinformation. She is wondering what the next funding model will be and is looking into niche, sustainable content that has social impact.
Jonathan Munro, BBC News Global Director and Deputy CEO, noted that the BBC is privileged to have public money. A lot of money is going into training journalists to recognize and counter disinformation, particularly in markets where there is an aggressive push by state actors, such as Ethiopia and Sudan. He acknowledged the need to look beyond digital platforms and be adaptive and fleet of foot. The BBC is investing in providing verified content. For example, it tallied the dead from the Ukraine war at 70,000, which they checked and double checked. It is better to be right, not first, he concluded.
