Bernama Proposes Rapid Verification Network, AI Safeguards To Fight Disinformation

From Salawaty Supardi

MOSCOW, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- With disinformation crossing borders within seconds, Bernama has proposed a rapid verification network among Asia-Pacific news agencies, alongside joint training in detecting manipulated content and common safeguards for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Bernama Chief Executive Officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin said the three proposed initiatives, which would operate under the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) framework, would put the principle of joint protection and mutual responsibility into practice as information threats rapidly evolve.

"False information crosses borders. Our cooperation must cross borders too," she said in her address at the plenary session of the International Forum "Dialogue about Fakes 4.0" here on Tuesday.

At the heart of the proposals is the OANA Rapid Verification Network, which Nur-ul Afida said would enable member agencies to establish designated points of contact to quickly verify major cross-border claims.

She said the network could focus particularly on claims involving governments, public institutions, disasters, security incidents or content falsely attributed to news organisations.

Under the proposed OANA Information Resilience and AI Training Programme, Nur-ul Afida said the programme would provide regular joint training in areas such as deepfake detection, image and video verification, geolocation, cybersecurity and the responsible use of generative AI.

She said the programme would also help address varying levels of technological capacity and expertise among OANA members.

Elaborating on the OANA Framework on Responsible AI and Verified Content initiative, Nur-ul Afida said it would establish common professional principles covering human editorial oversight, transparency in AI use, verification of AI-generated material, protection against fabricated content and procedures for correcting errors.

"Such a framework would show that news agencies are prepared to embrace new technology while maintaining the standards on which public trust depends," she said.

She said the three initiatives - rapid verification, shared training and common professional principles - would strengthen cooperation among news agencies in addressing the challenges posed by disinformation.

Nur-ul Afida said OANA was well placed to play a greater role in that effort, drawing on decades of direct cooperation among news agencies across the region.

Bernama has been an OANA member since 1968 and currently sits on its Executive Board. It also served as OANA chairman twice, from 1981 to 1985 and again from 2004 to 2007.

"Over the decades, OANA has demonstrated the value of direct cooperation among news agencies. Today, I believe that cooperation can be taken a step further," she said.

Nur-ul Afida said Bernama had always believed that international news cooperation contributed to better understanding among nations, as the direct exchange of verified information among professional news agencies reduced reliance on rumours, manipulated material and unverified social media content.

While the information environment had changed dramatically since Bernama joined OANA in 1968, she said the fundamental purpose of journalism remained unchanged.

"We verify. We provide context. We correct errors. We distinguish fact from speculation. And we remain accountable to our audiences," she said.

With AI becoming more powerful, manipulated content becoming more sophisticated and information spreading faster, Nur-ul Afida stressed that the response must be equally dynamic.

Bernama, she added, stood ready to work with OANA, fellow news agencies, fact-checking organisations, technology partners and the wider international media community towards this shared objective.

"Information resilience cannot be built by one newsroom, one organisation, or one nation. It must be built together," she said.

The forum, organised by Russian News Agency TASS in conjunction with OANA's 65th anniversary and the 58th OANA Executive Board Meeting (EBM) and Technical Committee Meeting, also featured OANA President and TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov and Vietnam News Agency General Director Vu Viet Trang, among others.

Also present was Bernama Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj.

-- BERNAMA