MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/. Information warfare is being waged without rules, making basic fact-checking skills essential to personal safety, Vladimir Tabak, president of the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN), told TASS ahead of the Dialogue about Fakes 4.0 forum.
Conventional warfare is governed by established rules, he noted, and violations are referred to "a regulatory body that considers sanctions or other consequences." Information warfare has no comparable framework, he said. "Is inducing a teenager to commit murder or arson as part of information warfare equivalent to using cluster munitions in an armed conflict?" Tabak asked. "I believe it is. That goes beyond information confrontation as I understand it."
"Even when we are talking about ourselves and our opponents in this information war, there must be certain rules. Unfortunately, those rules have yet to be defined," he said. "Every adult should have at least basic fact-checking skills to protect themselves in everyday life."
Global rules: difficult but necessary
Tabak described agreement on global rules for information warfare as a difficult but necessary step.
"We understand the geopolitical situation, particularly if we were to propose them ourselves. Nevertheless, I believe these rules must be established. That is the next step," he said.
Fact-checking is no longer "a purely journalistic discipline," he added. Professional skills are also needed by "ordinary people working for private companies or the state, or independently as investigators or in related fields."
Journalism’s changing role
Despite its growing popularity, fact-checking has yet to become firmly embedded in journalism, Tabak said.
"For all the interest and hype surrounding fact-checking, it has not yet become a fundamental part of journalism," he said.
"We must also recognize how much journalism has changed. As a graduate of Moscow State University’s journalism faculty, I can say that the profession today is entirely different from what it was even 15 years ago. Many major publications are now wondering how to survive: today’s media consumption habits and the revenue models they generate seem to leave little room for news outlets of their scale," Tabak said. "The question, then, is not simply how fact-checking will fit into journalism, but what will become of journalism itself in the coming years."
GFCN
The Global Fact-Checking Network brings together experts and fact-checking organizations worldwide. Founded by the TASS news agency, the nonprofit organization Dialogue Regions and the New Media Workshop, the association works to combat disinformation. More than 125 journalists from 55 countries already collaborate with GFCN on fact-checking.
The international Dialogue about Fakes 4.0 forum will take place on September 22 at the Russia National Center in Moscow. TASS is the event’s strategic partner.