\n \n \n “. concat(self. i18n. t(‘search. voice. recognition_retry’), “\n
” s ” ” t. config. saAria. shownText “
“e. config. saAria. closedText”
In the run-up to the U. S. midterm elections. In the U. S. , the wave of false claims around voting is a reminder of how difficult it is to fight fake news. Does Finland have the answer?
Hours after Vladimir Putin recalled 300,000 army reservists in September, a video began circulating on social media showing long lines of cars at the Finland-Russia border.
Finnish border guards temporarily pointed out that it was fake.
“Some of the videos were previously filmed and are now taken out of context,” he said on Twitter. The tweet temporarily reached the most sensitive of the page live from Ukraine on the news of the national TV channel Yle.
The reaction of border guards and Yle highlights a very important detail of Finland’s good fortune in the face of disinformation: public acceptance as true by the government and the media.
Finland is a very reliable company. According to an OECD report, 71% of the Finnish population trusts the government, compared with an OECD average of 41%.
And it’s not just the government: parliament, civil service, police and the media enjoy a peak of trust.
In an annual publication through the Open Society Institute, the country topped a global rating that measures resilience to misinformation.
This does not mean that Finns read everything they read in newspapers and never check social media for information. But when they do, they have the ability to critically compare information.
This shield opposed to disinformation is being put in the United States in the run-up to the midterm elections.
More than ever, the spotlight is on so-called fake news and the genuine consequences it can have.
Despite increased attention to addressing false and misleading claims on social media, adding those of the tech giants themselves, incorrect information continues to appear.
For the BBC’s Americast podcast, we created social media accounts owned by five fake characters, showing perspectives from all political backgrounds in the United States.
Meet the BBC’s ‘undercover voters’
LISTEN: Marianna on social media on Americast
One character in particular, the populist right Britney, has been warned on social media that she continues to publicize incorrect information that Trump won the 2020 election, as well as a series of conspiracies.
The progressive left Emma, on the other hand, is more likely to encounter more radical activism, some that come with violent rhetoric but prevent conspiracy.
The Finnish school formula is the cornerstone of the fight against fake news. Critical thinking and media literacy have long been components of the curriculum. The curriculum was revised in 2016 to teach young people the skills they needed to detect the kind of fabricated data spread on social media by the U. S. election campaign.
“We teach critical thinking in various subjects. For example, in math classes, we take a look at how statistics can be manipulated,” says Marika Kerola, an instructor in the northern city of Oulu.
“In art, a typical task would be for young people to create their own versions of a shampoo commercial. It would possibly be a symbol that appears that the hair is not as shiny or radiant as promised on the bottle. “
In language classes, they will compare the same story written in the form of factual text and propaganda, he says. In hitale, they will compare the war posters of Nazi Germany and the United States, for example.
The government’s National Emergency Supply Agency is an indispensable line of defense against fake news.
“Simply put, Finland has a comprehensive state-funded security model,” says Markus Kokko, communications officer at the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.
“The government is working with personal corporations and the media to build society’s resilience to threats and prepare other people for all kinds of disruptions. “
In addition to a central government agency, Finland has a number of NGOs and voluntary organizations that combat fake news. The Faktabaari fact-checking service is the most productive known.
People who still won Trump
TikTok to Influencers on U. S. Election RulesU. S.
Finland’s is to get ahead of the tidal wave of incorrect information, a wave that has already invaded U. S. shores.
The Finnish experience suggests that proactive moderation in real time can make all the difference.
Since the pandemic, when erroneous data online spread over covid-19, social media sites have pledged to do more to combat lies. They have generally succeeded in getting rid of destructive falsehoods and labeling conspiracies with accurate third-party fact data. -Checkers game.
Learn more about this series, In Search of a Solution
As Americans prepare to vote, countries around the world are seeking answers to the demanding situations facing the American political system.
We deal with issues such as the aging of Congress, the impasse in the passage of laws, the lack of female representation and low participation.
Reporters from Norway, Bolivia, Finland, Australia and Switzerland will explain how these problems are addressed where they live.
The one with the youngest politicians in the world
And around the midpoint, they announced express projects in a position to deal with this problem. For example, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, claims to have more than 40 groups running for election, as well as partnerships with 10 fact-checkers. organizations in the United States.
But, on social media platforms, there are still posts that collect likes and views before being deleted, and many that make their way through the spaces in the first place, as Undercover Voter Britney’s social media feeds reveal. Proactive moderation that addresses those posts before they have a chance to spread like wildfire is favored by some experts.
Social media education is at the heart of Finland’s long-term plan. Charities and projects in the United States have pushed for a more permanent law across the country to keep young people informed about this issue in schools.
For example, an invoice approved in Illinois last year requires each and every top public school to include media literacy somewhere in their curriculum. They will be informed to analyze everything they see online and offline.
In the end, those measurements are just bandages for a wound that is much harder to heal. There is no silver bullet to fix and accept as truth in the establishments, some of which have been eroded through disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining the end. election results.
When social media feeds like my constituent’s Undercover Britney are full of posts about how the election two years ago was fraudulent, there’s a problem.
And with most Republican candidates running next month wondering the final results of the 2020 election, the prospect of progress may seem remote.