The third edition of the Global Summit on Disinformation ended this Thursday after two intensive days in which more than 20 international speakers presented the problems, guarantees, and challenges of this issue.
During the event, representatives of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), Trusting News, Proyecto Desconfío, International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI); DW Akademie, Europa Press, Disarming Disinformation, Google News Initiative (GNI); the Climate Change Network of the Oxford Institute, Comprova of Brazil, UN Argentina; among other important fact-checking referents such as Maldita, Chequeado, Cotejo Info, Infoveritas of Spain, or Bolivia Verifica.
Among the topics discussed were the fundamental role of Artificial Intelligence in the fight against disinformation, the need to innovate strategies to ensure the dissemination of reliable content through social networks, and the challenges faced by democracies in the fight against electoral disinformation.
In this regard, the outgoing executive director of the Inter-American Press Association, Ricardo Trotti, stated at the closing of the Summit that «the fight against disinformation is the fight in defense of democracy». Michael Greenspon, president of the Inter-American Press Association: «Disinformation is possibly a major problem for the foundations of democracy and it is our responsibility to remain united in this fight». In the same sense, Renan Estenssoro, president of the Fundación para el Periodismo, remarked that while some governments in the region disseminate disinformation, very important media are being closed, and «the place that journalism loses is taken by disinformation». Adrián Pino, the coordinator of Proyecto Desconfío, called for strengthening the role of the media: «Users need access to reliable information to make their decisions, and journalism must occupy that place».
Some lessons learned from the conference
- Patricia Noboa Armendariz, DW Akademie leader for Latin America: «Information literacy is a key tool to combat disinformation. It is necessary to educate people so that they can identify false information».
- Mariana Alvarado, founder and coordinator of the Network for Diversity in Latin American Journalism: «We seek to demystify the conceptions that exist around diversity and we understand it as the recognition of the uniqueness of each person from a human rights approach».
- Esteban Ponce de León, associate researcher at the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council: «We are at a turning point in the evolution of this type of technologies (AI) and it is very difficult to know what kind of impacts they would have on disinformation».
- Sérgio Lüdtke, editor-in-chief of Projeto Comprova: «One of the risks for democracy are the discourses that circulate around disinformation where societies cannot make responsible decisions».
Organizers and participants
The Summit, which was held virtually, free of charge, and with simultaneous translation, had more than 2.000 registered participants from over 700 organizations representing more than 50 countries. Participants included experts, journalists, researchers, and technology leaders from the world’s most recognized disinformation initiatives.
For more information, visit: https://cumbredesinformacion.com.
Mario Tascón, an unexpected goodbye
After a brilliant presentation, Mario Tascón died a few hours later during a visit to Buenos Aires. At the Global Summit on Disinformation, he left his last mark on the importance of being creative in the fight against disinformation. An exhibition open to the public in Spain, a song by Manu Chao to connect with the audience, or literacy actions based on playful activities is the legacy left by this great protagonist of the fight against disinformation. From the Summit’s organizing entities, we bid farewell to this referent and reaffirm our commitment to continue his legacy to put an end to deception and disinformation campaigns.
The Inter-American Press Association organizes the III Global Summit on Disinformation 2023, the Fundación para el Periodismo (Bolivia) and Proyecto Desconfío (Argentina). This year, the event was supported by Google News Initiative, the International Fact-Checking Network, the U.S. Embassy in Argentina, the German Embassy in Bolivia, the United Nations Argentina, BancoSol Bolivia, and the Kimberly Green Center for Latin America and the Caribbean (LACC) of Florida International University (FIU).
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), Medianálisis, Bolivia Verifica, Asociación Nacional de Prensa de Chile, Fundación GABO, DW Akademie, InfoVeritas, Asociación Colombiana de Medios de Información (AMI), Asociación de Entidades Periodísticas de Argentina (ADEPA) and United Nations Bolivia accompanied this edition of the Summit.