doing business in myanmar – what you need to know as a singaporean
A local non-governmental organisation has launched a campaign urging people to use more critical judgment when reading news stories posted on social media.
Hnin Nu Naing, outreach manager for the Myanmar ICT for Development Organisation (MIDO), expressed concern that many people believe everything they read on social media platforms such as Facebook.
“People don’t believe the news in newspapers and on TV, but they believe everything posted on Facebook. It is difficult for people to analyse fake news, as the person who spreads it is unknown,” she said.
She said that Facebook has set up its own mechanism to guard against fake news. He said Facebook users can check the veracity of stories at Facebook.com/realornot.mm.
The website includes basic facts for online readers regarding news – the names of the writers, media organisations, sources and dates of news, whether the news is related to other media organisations, and others.
“People don’t think twice to share political news and conflict news. If the news they share is fake, it is like sparking a wildfire,” Hnin Nu Naing said.
She expressed concerns that more fake news could be spread online as Myanmar’s 2020 general elections draw near.
The MIDO campaign marked Global Media and Information Literacy Week at Thakin Mya Park in downtown Yangon on Sunday. The campaign is backed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
Source: Myanmar Times
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