INSS raises concern into ‘Fake News’
May 10, 2021Enhancing awareness on fake news and its apex threat to national security, the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), the premier think tank on national security, conducted a Public Lecture recently.
Director General of the Government Information Department Mohan Samaranayake was the Guest Speaker at the discussion which had segmented to revisiting into the definition of fake news focusing on its evolution up to the digital age, motives of the circulation of fake news and the progress Sri Lanka made in regulating the same.
The lecture also focused into the motives behind the circulation of false information while elaborating several factors including the citing of examples.
The politically oriented predominant motive was also under discussion where falsely fabricated information was used as a weapon against regime changes.
As to self-assess the credibility of information, several factors such as detecting the credibility of the source, reading behind headline and critically viewing the content, checking for supportive sources and dates and assessing the authenticity of the author was also highlighted during the session.
The lecture turning into Sri Lankan context on battling fake news raised concerns into a local structure towards regulating information.
Samaranayake brought up valuable outputs to the issue ranging from attitudinal transformation to policy formulation at the fruitful discussion.
The open lecture to the public was also attended by the representatives of government institutions, tri-forces, academia, journalists and other invitees.
Full text of the INSS press release :