真的假不了

日期︰2017年05月09日

香港報業公會主席甘煥騰

真的假不了，假的真不了。這句金句套用在全球各地近期刮起的打假新聞風，傳媒中人自是別有一番滋味在心頭。

其實自社交網絡大行其道，網媒如雨後春筍般湧現，不少人的閱報及吸收新聞資訊的習慣逐步改變。由看收費報紙，到免費報紙，改為報紙網站，再到社交網絡發放的新聞資訊。初期不少人都覺得這個轉變是社會進步的必然發展歷程，毋須唏噓嘆息。

然而，當大眾捨棄傳統獲取新聞資訊之途，轉而接收大量不經求證的免費資訊的時候，我們不禁要問：這些資訊會不會扭曲了我們的理性思考？我們會不會基於一些誤導的資訊而作出了錯誤的決定？

其實由讀報轉為掃網來接收新聞和資訊，亦反映了受眾對追求知識的不同態度。收費報章的讀者，必然是主動和認真的希望從報章尋找想要的新聞和資訊，否則不會付錢買報紙；相反在社交網絡，新聞就夾雜在凌亂的資訊和議論中，很多時受眾都是被動的，亦不一定會思索這些新聞和資訊的真偽。此所以，社交網絡往往成為假新聞的溫床，同時亦助長了假新聞的泛濫成災。

正所謂物極必反，一場美國總統選舉令大家驚訝發現，假新聞泛濫原來不但會影響個人所接收的資訊，還會影響一個國家的命運。繼捷克成立反假新聞的專責政府機構後，德國亦研究立法打擊假新聞，以免今年將舉行的大選結果受到操控。英國文化媒體體育議會（CMSC）已正式針對「假新聞」展開調查，以防民眾接收到不實的宣傳內容。在亞洲，新加坡和台灣亦正研究如何應對假新聞。

有意見擔心打擊假新聞可能侵害新聞和言論自由，但容許假新聞坐大，社會整體恐怕要付上沉重代價。雖然假新聞在香港還只是零星事件，卻已然令大眾開始意識到假新聞的禍害。畢竟我們往往通過新聞資訊來塑造我們對周遭事物的理解和是非判斷，若然假新聞和虛構資訊無處不在，我們亦無從作出理性的分析。

社交網絡面書和谷歌近日都說要嚴格阻截假新聞的散播，成效如何還要拭目以待，但我相信正本清源才是真正有效的治本方法。

從樂觀的角度看，全球各地都開始警覺假新聞對社會的侵害，大眾很可能會重新檢視傳統傳媒的角色和重要性。或許正因如此，一些傳統大報的銷量和讀者人數近期開始稍然回升。位居美國銷量第四的《華盛頓郵報》去年新增訂戶數字大增75%。誠然，目前就論斷紙媒回春仍言之尚早，但在國際局勢動盪、社會環境紛擾的多事之秋，傳統傳媒嚴謹的求證守則和客觀報導，還是有其不可替代的功能。希望大家可以珍之惜之。

What is true cannot be fake

"What is true cannot be fake; what is fake cannot be true." If we apply this saying to the recent battle against fake news around the globe, for those who work in the media industry must have a mixed feeling in their hearts.

Ever since social networks have become a mainstream trend, online media has mushroomed, people's habits of reading newspaper and absorbing news and information gradually changed, from reading paid newspapers to free newspapers, and visiting newspaper website to viewing news updates shared on social media. At first, people might think this change is only an inevitable stage of social progress with nothing to be moaned about.

Nevertheless, when the public is giving up the traditional way to acquire news and information, but receiving a huge amount of free unverified information, we have got to ask, “Will this information distort our rational thinking?” or “Will we make wrong decisions based on some misleading information?”

Receiving news and information from reading newspaper to scrolling the website actually reflected the change in attitude to pursue knowledge among the audience. Paid newspaper readers must be proactive and take news and information seriously, or else they will not be willing to pay for the newspapers. On the contrary, news is always mixed in scrambled information and arguments on social networks, in which the audience is passive in a way that they are just fed with news so they tend not to dwell on the authenticity of the news and information received. Hence, social networks are always the hotbeds of fake news which contribute to the flood of fake news.

"Things will develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme". The US presidential election made everyone astonished and realized that the overflow of fake news does not only affect the information that one received, but also the destiny of a country. Following the establishment of a special government organization to fight against fake news in Czech, Germany has plan to draw out legislation against fake news as well for fear that the election results of this year would be controlled. The Culture, Media & Sport Committee (CMSC) of the United Kingdom has officially launched an investigation on "fake news" to prevent the public from receiving false promotional content. In Asia, Singapore and Taiwan are also looking into the ways to cope with fake news.

There has been concern that the fight against fake news might infringe on the freedom of press and speech. Yet, if we turn a blind eye to the issue and allow fake news to grow, the society as a whole would pay a heavy price. Although fake news in Hong Kong still remains sporadic events, the public has already begun to realize the scourge of it. After all, we often shape our understanding of things around, as well as our right and wrong judgement through news and information. If fake news and false information are everywhere, we can no longer make a rational analysis.

Social networking platforms including Facebook and Google have recently stated that they would strictly block the spread of fake news. It still takes time to see the results but I believe tackling the problem at its root is the truly effective measure.  

From an optimistic point of view, every part of the world has started to stay alert to the harm that fake news could bring to the society, thus the public is likely to reexamine the role and importance of traditional media. Perhaps this is the reason why both the circulation and the readership of some traditional newspapers have begun to pick up recently. Ranked No.4 in circulation in the United States, "Washington Post" has a 75% increase in the number of subscribers last year. It is true that it is still too early for now to tell whether the print media has revived. However, in face of international turmoil and a social environment filled with troubles, practices of traditional media featuring rigorous verification and objective reports have an irreplaceable function. Hope everyone could cherish and acknowledge that.

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