Phnom Penh: The 10th Asia-Europe Foundation Editor’s Roundtable has focused on ‘fake news’. The roundtable is a side event of the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting. It was attended by journalists, editors and government officials engaging in a discussion about the spread of fake news in the two regions.

The two-day ASEF Editors’ Roundtable was held under the theme of “Strengthening the cooperation between journalists in combating fake news”. Journalists, editors and government officials have discussed and exchange perspectives on current affairs pertaining to fake news and misinformation. This is aimed to formulate effective strategies to combat its rise and also facilitate cooperation between journalists in both continents.

On Tuesday, the first day of the roundtable was held under the presidency of the Minister of Information, Khieu Kanharith, who delivered a message on the risk that fake news poses to a country’s unity and peace. He has stated that technological advancements and social media has helped promote the spread of fake news, which can have the negative effect of exacerbating distrust, division and violence between people.

He has added that Cambodia was no exception to this phenomenon, and has provided details on the anti-fake news committee that was established in Cambodia at the ministerial level in mid-2020. The Minister also stressed his belief that strong leadership, teamwork and cooperation act as the best and most effective approach to minimizing the spread of fake news.

ASEF Executive Director, Ambassador Morikawa Toru, on his side, has emphasized on the importance of the roundtable event in bringing editors and senior journalists across Asia and Europe together to address the growing problem of fake news. He specifically highlighted the spread of fake news in regard to COVID-19 vaccination as an ongoing issue that has hindered global public health efforts.

^{PHOTO: SARY}