Media Must Balance Speed, Accuracy And Harm Prevention In Viral News Era - Editors

PUTRAJAYA, June 16 (Bernama) -- Media organisations need to strike a balance between speed, accuracy and harm prevention when reporting news in an era where information spreads rapidly across social media platforms, three senior editors said.

They were sharing their views on the challenges faced by newsrooms in dealing with misinformation and viral content, after a plenary session titled “The Editor’s Dilemma - Balancing Speed, Accuracy and Harm Prevention”, held in conjunction with the “Balancing Virality & Responsibility: Journalism Amid Speed, Trust & Impact – An Industry Dialogue” course here today.

The Star deputy executive editor Dr Christina Chin said one of the main challenges faced by media organisations is the lack of resources and time when dealing with viral content.

“When something goes viral, it feeds on speed. We try as best as we can but we depend on the authorities,” she said.

Chin said media organisations should adopt a three-step approach by first publishing information that has been verified, followed by fact-checking and follow-up reports before a more comprehensive report is published after official information is obtained.

“Although we also want speed, we will never compromise on accuracy. We must be factual and make it clear when there are things we are not sure about but are in the process of verifying. That is what we put online,” she told Bernama.

She said mainstream media could not compete with netizens in terms of speed as journalists are required to verify and check information before publication, but could compete on trust and professionalism.

Meanwhile, Astro Awani editor-in-chief Zaiful Ariffin said media organisations that prioritise speed at the expense of accuracy risk damaging their own credibility.

“Just imagine when a media organisation is too focused on being fast without considering accuracy and immediately shares or posts something. It will definitely have a major impact, and when it is later found to be inaccurate or untrue, they have to retract it,” he said.

He said senior citizens are among those most vulnerable to misinformation because many of them obtain information through WhatsApp groups, where the authenticity of content is often uncertain.

“We have to educate them. We need to create awareness among parents so that before they share something or accept a report as true, they double-check it first,” he said.

Zaiful said existing laws related to the spread of fake news are sufficient, but enforcement needs to be strengthened alongside efforts to improve public awareness.

He also expressed concern about the younger generation being more inclined to obtain information through social media rather than original news sources.

“As media organisations, we must play our role so that amid the content appearing on their FYP feeds, they will at least receive content from media organisations and be able to consume accurate reports,” he said.

Vanakkam Malaysia editor-in-chief M. Thiaga Rajan said the most pressing challenge facing media organisations today is finding the right balance between producing content with viral potential and fulfilling their responsibility to society.

“When that balance exists, I believe we can carry out our operations without causing harm to any party,” he said.

He said all viral content must be verified before publication to ensure its authenticity and to assess its impact on social harmony.

He stressed that existing laws are adequate, but enforcement should be tightened to curb the spread of misinformation.

“In my view, enforcement must be given greater emphasis so that there are clear limits on the dissemination of false information,” he said.

-- BERNAMA