Launched last week to combat the spread of fake news, the Brasil contra Fake platform does not intend to replace professional news checking agencies, said this Wednesday (5) the chief minister of the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Paul Pepper. In an interview with the program A Voz do Brasil, he clarified the objectives of the page, which has been on the air since the end of March. “This government website is not a fact-checking agency. It is a government space for clarifications to the population. To prevent the population from being misinformed about a decree, law or public policy. That is the purpose of this website. Being an important tool because it conveys security, and people regain confidence that information from the federal government is reliable information. It is an important source”, declared Pimenta. In recent days, the platform has been receiving criticism from journalists linked to news checking agencies and experts in the fight against misinformation because the page, according to them, would present itself as a news checking agency. According to scholars, the term “Clarification Center” would be more appropriate. Another point criticized was the lack of explanation for the selection of contents. Currently, the page presents itself as “a portal of public utility and information on public policies and government actions”, with the objective of “clarifying information about the federal government”. The platform features reports produced by the Secretariat of Communication (Secom) countering false news circulating on the networks. The site also provides guidance to users on how to report fake news on each social network. Consequences The chief minister of Secom spoke about some consequences of fake news on public policies and cited damages on vaccination. “The Minister of Health came to me because of the amount of untrue information circulating on social networks about the vaccination campaign. Brazil was already a world reference in this area. We have already reached 89% vaccination coverage in the country. Today we have less than 60%”, highlighted Pimenta. “Diseases such as measles and polio, which had already been eradicated, have returned to existence. During the covid pandemic we had a tragedy. There are now 700,000 deaths, many of which could have been avoided if not for disinformation campaigns, ”he added. Pimenta recalled that the dissemination of fake news is not a problem exclusive to Brazil. The minister justified the need for an official campaign against misinformation, budgeted at BRL 20 million, of which BRL 5.6 million is being spent on the first phase, which provides for the launch of the platform and advertisements for three months on televisions, radios , websites, social networks and cinemas. “It is not a situation that only involves Brazil. I have had the opportunity to follow this debate a lot at an international level. The federal government ends up being one of the main victims of criminal misinformation and fake news,” said Pimenta. Watch the full interview:
Agência Brasil
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