Webinar Announcement: “Combating Disinformation in South-East Asia”

Webinar Announcement: “Combating Disinformation in South-East Asia”

DCN SEE HubDigital Communication Network and World Learning are organizing, via Zoom, the webinar Combating Disinformation in South-East Asia”, which will take place in the 10th of December at 13:45 (Athens Time).

The Covid-19 epidemic has given rise to an avalanche of disinformation worldwide. False and misleading information is quickly and widely disseminated across the Internet, reaching and potentially influencing many people. The issue of disinformation, however, is broader and deeper than its pandemic-related manifestations.

Efforts to control or manipulate the public information space to influence people’s beliefs and opinions are certainly not new in South-East Asia. While the phenomenon itself is not unfamiliar, its impact has become increasingly visible as many countries have embraced transformative digital technologies that altered people’s lifestyles and media consumption behavior. Like other parts of the world, the expression “fake news” has entered into the everyday lexicon in many Asian countries.

The webinar offers a regional assessment of current practices in information manipulation and interventions, with the aim of mitigating future risks in the global context. This webinar will also summarize trends in disinformation, sourced and desired outcomes, as well as efforts being made to combat malign influences in the information space.

Moderators:
• Dr Nikos S. Panagiotou │Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | Director DCN SEE Hub.
• Cassandra Thomazios | Partner MahWengKwai & Associates, Malaysia.

Speakers:
• Spencer Feingold, Editor, Agence France – Presse, Hong Kong SAR.
• Gemma Mendoza, Head, Digital Strategy at Rappler, Philippines.
• Aribowo Sasmito, Co-Founder and Head of Fact Checker Committee, MAFINDO, Indonesia.
• Taili Wang, Professor, National Taiwan University.

This event is co-organized by Digital Communication Network SouthEast Europe Hub (DCN SEE), Digital Communication Network Global and World Learning and is part of DCNSEE’s Ideas in Action – Digital Engagement, a series of virtual events launched in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. Digital Communication Network is supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Citizen Exchanges.