According to a survey by the Université Laval Digital Transformation Academy published in 2022, 67% of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 obtain their information mainly on social networks. Within the same group, 50% have difficulty determining the reliability of information, according to the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. While fake news has never proliferated so much, distinguishing the true from the false, a verified piece of news from a fabricated rumor, constitutes a real democratic challenge.
This observation has been established by many people for quite some time, whether they are teachers, community managers, politicians or journalists. Not to mention that many professionals whose job is to inform have found themselves under heavy fire from conspirators or simple citizens overwhelmed by events, openly expressing their helplessness and dismay. The pandemic years were, in this regard, sadly instructive…
Long before the arrival of COVID-19, journalists were already worried about the proliferation of fake news, its negative impacts on public debate and, in turn, on the functioning of society. However, here as elsewhere, they mobilized to thwart a strong trend, one where the facts are too often questioned.
It is in this context that the program #30seconds before you believe it was born in 2018, under the bosom of the Professional Federation of Journalists of Quebec, and that the Quebec Center for Media Education was created in 2021. and information (CQEMI), to ensure its dissemination and growth. From high schools and universities to public libraries and community organizations, journalist-trainers are raising public awareness of the perils of what some call “post-truth”.
Since then, there has been an epidemic of fake news about COVID-19 (an “infodemic”, as the World Health Organization has called it) fueled by anti-vaccine movements and extremist groups. At the moment, we are also seeing the regression of Twitter, which has become, for lack of moderation, a dumping ground for trolls and hate speech.
We can never say enough how this ecosystem of misinformation is changing at lightning speed. Yesterday, all eyes were on algorithms and their astonishing ability to lock us into echo chambers. Today, it’s time for generative artificial intelligence: when (relatively) credible images circulate of a Donald Trump apprehended by the police or when we learn that a robot will be able to lay hundreds of fake news to minute, we have every reason to be concerned.
Judging by the reluctance of politicians towards GAFAM, the legal framework could take time to be put in place, despite all the goodwill of the federal government with Bill C-27 concerning the Intelligence Act artificial and data. At the speed at which technology is evolving, the urgency to act has never been greater; let us remind our elected officials.
In the meantime, citizens have a role to play, at their own level. He can develop skills to detect questionable information and reflexes to avoid falling into traps. He must be vigilant in the face of his own biases and distance himself from the choices imposed on him by the algorithms. It is precisely in this context that the CQEMI intervenes, which was able to raise the awareness of nearly 45,000 participants through 1,700 training sessions given throughout Quebec by more than 70 participating journalists.
Between the tricks to detect the fake news and the tools to ensure the credibility of sources of information, the CQEMI invites the public to exercise their critical thinking, to sharpen their view of the news and to be wary of publications that arouse (too) strong emotions. A handful of Quebec media have also developed information literacy initiatives: these actions are still too few in number, but informed citizens would benefit from discovering and using them. They should also be better funded, in anticipation of the next wave of fake news in politics, health… or global warming.
The Press and Media Weeks, which run until the end of May, represent a unique opportunity to reflect collectively on the vital importance of credible, rigorous and verified information. And to ensure that young people can benefit from quality media education, allowing them to acquire skills that are now essential. They will use it today to shape the society of tomorrow.