A GOVERNMENT STRATEGY to counter disinformation has been published today, aiming to tackle the effects of “damaging” false online information.

The strategy, which was due to be published last year, outlines a number of commitments for the government in tackling disinformation, including promoting greater media literacy and countering foreign information interference.

Among the actions, the strategy calls for support in the growth of expertise on “fact-checking and pre-bunking” in Ireland.

The strategy also aims to strengthen trust in public institutions and the media. It says more support in the form of training and knowledge exchange for media practitioners is required for the “timely and effective dissemination” of factchecks, pre-bunks, and disinformation analysis.

It is essential that fact-checking and pre-bunking activities are resourced properly, sustainably and transparently, the strategy adds.

“The feasibility of a funding strand under the media fund for the fact-checking/pre-bunking community should be explored,” the strategy says.

Media minister Patrick O’Donovan said that the recommendations outline how the government will tackle the “serious challenge” of disinformation, which he added can only be met “with a whole-of-society response”.

He warned that disinformation is a “danger to democracy”, adding that it affects people’s ability to distinguish from fact and fiction in their day-to-day lives.

According to a Eurobarometer survey, 86% of Europeans believe that the rapid spread of disinformation is a major problem for democracy.

The Digital News Report last year found that 64% of the Irish public is concerned about what is real and what is fake on the internet, compared to 50% in the rest of Europe.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne show, O’Donovan said: “We’re going to rely on partners including our public service broadcasters and our commercial broadcasters and social media platforms themselves as well to work with us on weeding out something that’s really, to be quite honest about it, has become a global scourge.”

“And it’s something that we can’t allow to be unchallenged in the way that maybe it has been in some jurisdictions.”

O’Donovan said that the strategy will be brought to cabinet this week, adding that he wants to see “a series of actions” implemented quickly.

The strategy calls for the government to develop a national approach to countering “foreign information manipulation and interference” and support international initiatives to counter disinformation.

The strategy also recommends the implementation of the European Media Freedom Act, which is designed to ensure that media – both public and private – can operate more easily across borders in the EU internal market.

Elsewhere, the strategy aims to support media pluralism and freedom as well as overall trust in the media.

It calls for implementation of the local democracy and courts reporting schemes to support the production of “high-quality local public service content of relevance to local communities in Ireland”, adding that that there should be independent oversight of all public funding schemes for journalism.

A “Counter Disinformation Oversight Group” will also be established to consider the commitments of the report.

Additional reporting from PA

Ever wondered how disinformation spreads so rapidly – or who is behind it? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.