To Believe... Or Not to Believe

Technology giant Google is offering funds to digital media houses via its Google Digital News Initiative Fund. Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri spoke to Giselle Borg Olivier about this latest proposal, and what the availability of this fund could mean for news publishers, especially in today’s world of ‘fake news’.

A Eurobarometer survey a few weeks ago presented some disturbing news:

86% of the Maltese respondents consider that distorted news is a problem in Malta.

This distortion ranged from flat-out lies to twisting the facts of what was actually happening in the country. Only 1% of those contacted for the survey said that incorrect news reporting was “definitely” not a problem.

And what is worse, this is by no means a uniquely Maltese phenomenon: the EU average of those who feel that news is distorted was 85%.

Apart from the number of those who mistrust the news, another worrying aspect that emerged from the report was the frequency of it: more than half of the Maltese said they encountered distorted news at least every week, and nearly a third said they came across incorrect news every day.

In March, you launched the Google Digital News Initiative Fund, which means that around $150 million are now available for the Maltese media industry. Who can access these funds? And under what remit?

These funds are open to all news publishers in Malta to help them improve the quality of digital news through technological innovation. This secretariat, which is responsible for digital economy and innovation, invited Google to extend this funding programme to Malta’s news ecosystem including newsrooms, journalists, publishers, marketing agencies and the academia.

All those interested are invited to obtain more information from Google’s digital innovation fund website and follow the designated application process with Google. All the interested eligible parties are encouraged to come up with projects and initiatives that will improve the public’s experience and enhance the service provided on digital news publishing platforms. Google will assess the applications and guide applicants accordingly. Funding for projects starts at a couple of thousand euros and can go up to tens of thousands of euros.

What are you hoping the country will achieve from collaborating with this global brand?

This is not the first time that Malta is cooperating with Google. A few months ago, Google launched two other initiatives with the support of the government: Google Street View and Wonders of Malta. These are two digital applications which enhance the experience of both residents and visitors in Malta through technological innovation. Having global brands like Google in Malta is important for us since they have proved to be at the forefront of innovation and believe that innovation improves the quality of life of citizens and businesses.

During the launch, you mentioned that a survey was done locally regarding 'fake news' and that a high percentage of respondents felt that it posed a threat. What sort of threats are they referring to? And, what, in your opinion, can be done to curb fake news?

Fake news is a threat to citizens because it misleads individual opinion and decision making. We believe that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, and this is why it is vital that we ensure that people are protected from, or at least informed about, what is fake news and what is not.

Fake news is a disservice to those journalists andmedia organisations who strive to investigateand publish true information which is of value totheir readers. We can’t end up in a scenario wherejournalists who have obtained true information andverified their sources end up on par with publishersof fake news. This would be a threat to the newsindustry, which is considered the 4th pillar ofdemocracy.

The concept of 'spin' has always existed in the political sphere. Do you think that 'fake news' is just another term for 'spin'? And is the term 'fake news' just a convenient way to cover up unfavorable news stories?

For me fake news is information which is completely not the truth or else partially untrue.Spin is somewhat different and can be applied to every piece of information, even those which are true. We need to educate the public to learn how to tell fake news from real news; how to verify it and what questions to ask in order to form an opinion on a piece of information made available to them.