SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, July 13. Effective efforts to counter disinformation are only possible through joint action by governments, media outlets, online platforms and society, while professional journalism should remain the main tool for strengthening trust and peace, Trend's special correspondent reports from the event.
Kanat Iskakov, First Vice Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, made the remarks while speaking at a panel session titled "Peacebuilding and Public Discourse Through the Lens of Media" held as part of the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum.
"With the development of information technologies, opportunities for information dissemination have expanded, but at the same time the information environment has become more complex. Ignoring existing rules leads to serious consequences: the spread of disinformation, the loss of trust between various participants in public life, reduced accountability and, most importantly, the erosion of trust and weakening of international relations. Disinformation is used not only to manipulate public opinion but also to fuel conflicts between countries and peoples, and within states — to spread hatred and destabilize society," Iskakov said.
He said one of the key areas in combating disinformation is close cooperation with digital platforms and increasing transparency regarding distributed content.
"We consider cooperation with online platforms extremely important. Content created using artificial intelligence must be clearly labeled so that users can understand its origin. This is an important legislative measure, and Kazakhstan has already made significant progress both in refuting false information and in cooperation with the world's largest digital platforms," he said.
Iskakov emphasized that adherence to professional journalistic standards also plays an important role.
"Responsible journalism based on accuracy, objectivity, fact-checking and respect for different points of view is the best defense against the escalation of conflicts in the information space. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain a balance between freedom of speech and protecting society from manipulative information," he said.
The First Vice Minister also highlighted the need to improve media literacy among the public and expand international cooperation.
"Together with civil society and educational institutions, we must develop media literacy programs so that people can critically assess information and recognize disinformation. At the same time, no country can effectively address this problem alone. It is precisely at such international platforms that we must exchange experience, develop common mechanisms and jointly reduce the negative consequences of the spread of false information," Iskakov added.
