Every responsible Papua New Guinean has a duty to ensure factual information or content is disseminated so as to guard against inciting any form of abuse or violence among the wider public.
And the media must be equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to be able to differentiate between misinformation and factual information. Especially in the face of increasing AI generated content.
Speaking briefly during a media training workshop in Port Moresby yesterday organized and delivered by the Australian Associated Press in collaboration with the RPNGC, Police Commissioner, David Manning emphasized on the importance of checking and rechecking information before it is delivered.
Manning made particular reference to the 2024 “Black Wednesday” incident as a case in point urging the media and those in responsible positions to ensure correct government information and related content is put out to the public.
He commended the AAP for designing and conducting such workshops to equip media professionals and government workers to be on the lookout for false or inaccurate information being shared.
Commissioner Manning added that PNG has been thrown into this social media hype and the internet without any real checks and balances on what is acceptable to the general public especially the young minds.
AAP’s Head of Editorial Partnerships and developer of Fact-Check, an Information Integrity course module, Holly Nott told participants that building a brand that can be trusted is what any journalist or media organisation should vigorously promote and eventually earning the trust of their target audience and the wider public.
She said this is particularly important for government workers and the media because persons spewing out information, texts, videos and images online have become sophisticated in their methods making it increasingly difficult to pick out the lies and the false impressions generated.
She pointed out that PNG is experiencing its share of digital transformation with the increased use of technology, the internet and AI, however key institutions and media professional must be properly trained to spot the “bad actors “that peddle information for profit while destroying minds.
Ms Holly’ s media training course was developed in 2019 and has since been conducted in most Pacific Island countries including Australia and New Zealand. She travels next to the Solomon Islands after PNG.