Spectre of online falsehoods ‘more challenging’ with rise of AI; media outlets have role to play: DPM Wong

SINGAPORE: With half-truths and misinformation spreading “more quickly” than facts, the spectre of online falsehoods will only become “more challenging” to tackle given the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (Mar 19). 

Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, said the government will do its part to guard against these threats, pointing to laws such as the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act or POFMA, and the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (FICA) for hostile information campaigns. 

Speaking at Mediacorp’s news and current affairs brand CNA’s 25th anniversary celebration at Capella Singapore, he added that the government will also continue to educate the public on how to be vigilant against falsehoods.

“But media outlets like CNA also have a role to play. Rigorous and robust fact-checking remain our best defence against misinformation and falsehoods," he said. 

“We should also harness technology to help us in this work. And I’m glad that CNA is doing just that, by developing AI interactive bots for journalists to fact-check and enhancing the accuracy and effectiveness of your detection tools,” said Mr Wong at the event, during which CNA announced plans to ramp up growth in regional and international markets.

This includes strengthening its depth of China coverage, introducing its brand in North America, Canada and the UK, as well as launching a new East Asia bulletin.

CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE

During his speech, Mr Wong noted that the media landscape has changed “dramatically” over the last 25 years. 

With the growing weight of Asia in global affairs, more international broadcasters are stepping up their Asia-based programming, and new regional broadcasters have also entered the market.

“CNA may have had a first-mover advantage, but the landscape has become more contested,” he said.

But it is the rise of the internet that brought about a bigger change, he added.

News outlets must compete for advertising revenues with major companies such as Google and parent company of Facebook, Meta, which are "very good" at audience targeting. They also have to compete for attention with “everything ranging from Netflix to TikTok”. 

“TV is being replaced by streaming. Newspapers everywhere are struggling. Many major publications are a shadow of their former selves,” Mr Wong said."This is all primarily because the internet and social media have enabled so much more competition – so much alternative great content available online, powered by very creative content creators, and distributed directly to audiences around the world."

During his speech, Mr Wong highlighted the digital transformation journey that Mediacorp and CNA embarked on more than 20 years ago, with the support of the government.

He shared that he was involved in some of these efforts during his time with the Ministry of Communications and Information, and can see the “impact of these changes". 

This includes refreshing their digital presence to reach new audiences and launching mobile applications to deliver news faster to consumers. 

“CNA is now one of most used apps in Singapore,” said Mr Wong, as he also pointed to the launch of MeWatch and the availability of TV content online - both live and on-demand. 

He also highlighted data analytics tools being developed to understand how audiences view digital content to draw better insights for advertisers. 

“Through these efforts, CNA has grown its reach, and increased its value-add to advertisers. Coupled with your efforts to provide impactful and interesting content, CNA has managed to stay relevant and to maintain a high-level of public trust,” he said.

While it is a "challenging journey" to build on these foundations to do even better, he said the team is fully committed and “determined to succeed”.

In a highly contested and fragmented media landscape, there will be pressure to create click-bait, sensationalist content “just to attract eyeballs”. 

“You have to resist that temptation and continue to maintain your high standards. And particularly at a time when people everywhere increasingly identify themselves in narrow ethnic terms, living in echo chambers and forming their own ‘tribes’, it is even more important for CNA to tell stories that bridges divides, that educates us of different perspectives and ultimately that keeps our society together,” he said.

“Crucially, you have to hone your craft to tell your stories well; and to create content that captivates and informs audiences, without comprising your commitment to truth and objectivity,” Mr Wong added.