가짜뉴스로 무너진 언론 신뢰, 팩트 체크로 국민 신뢰 회복 필요: 전문가

The increase of fake news and half baked truths on social media has caused people to question nearly everything they read.
In the last installment of our three part series , Oh Sooyoung explores what needs to be done to restore faith in media and help the public distinguish what's real and what's fake.
It seems that Korean society needs more fundamental solutions in its fight against fake news.
After the justice ministry last week proposed tough measures to crack down on the spread of false information,... experts are concerned that this will only suppress the problem rather than resolve it.

"There are already laws against defamation and invasion of privacy, so we should start by questioning where existing policies have failed and what we need to change. The term 'fake news' is still vague so imposing new policies without clarity is worrying. It could clamp down on the freedom of expression, so this issue must be approached with prudence."
Instead of restrictive measures,... Hong stressed the role of the government and the media in to help the public distinguish between different shadings of the truth.
"But first, the media needs to win back public trust. With the deluge of disinformation,... a survey by the Korea Press Foundation this year showed only one in four South Koreans trust news articles. 61 percent were worried about fake news."
"I think there's a lot of fabrication. So I take in about half of what I see and filter out the rest."
"I'd say I trust about 30 to 40 percent of what I see. I don't trust traditional broadcasters either. I get suspcious because of their ties to politics."
To boost their credibility, experts say journalists in Korea need to improve the quality of their reporting,... and help expose fake news by setting the facts straight.
A number of papers and broadcast programs now carry fact-checking news reports.
But it's not just a task for politicians or journalists,... battling disinformation also requires a conscious effort from the public,... especially as social media platforms tend to recommend content based on the users' preferences.
" I would call for people to be given better guidance about what's real and what's fake and engage in critical thinking and public discourse."
Popular online platforms also have some responsibility for improving media literacy.
Experts say they need to invest more in educating their users to help them spot fake news.
They should also develop ways to present content from legitimate, credible sources,... while maintaining diversity of opinion.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.