Launch of Public Consultation on National Counter Disinformation Strategy
Public invited to submit their views before 20th October
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, today welcomed the launch of a public consultation on the development of a National Counter Disinformation Strategy. Full details and the consultation questionnaire are available here and the consultation remains open for submissions until 5pm on Friday 20th October.
As part of their report, the Future of Media Commission recognised the need for more coordinated and strategic action to combat the damaging impact of disinformation on Irish society and democracy. Therefore, they recommended the development of a National Counter Disinformation Strategy.
In February 2023, the Department established a multi-stakeholder working group to develop the Strategy. It aims to coordinate sectoral efforts to combat disinformation and provide a joined-up approach to reduce the creation and spread of false and harmful material.
The Working Group has produced a Scoping Paper which sets out a summary of a range of issues that are relevant to disinformation. It also sets out five draft principles around which a strategy could be developed. The public consultation asks people for their views on those principles and for their ideas for actions that would help make them a reality.
Welcoming the launch of the public consultation, the Minister said:
Disinformation is a complex issue. That is why we established this multi-stakeholder, independently chaired, working group to bring representatives from industry, academia, civil society and Government Departments together to develop a Strategy which would help coordinate all the efforts being made to counter disinformation.
An important part of the work is to seek the views of the public, and that is the aim of this public consultation. I would encourage people to review the Scoping Paper, which seeks to set out a summary of the main issues and the five draft principles, and submit their views.
The consultation is open online today, 25 September, for four weeks until 5pm on Friday 20th October.
Once the consultation process has concluded, the Working Group will review the outputs and continue its work on developing the Strategy. The next stage of the consultation will then be a consultative forum for stakeholders to discuss the outputs from the consultation. It is hoped to finalise a strategy as soon as possible thereafter.
ENDS
Press and Information Office
Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Tel: 01 6437610
Email: press.office@tcagsm.gov.ie
Website: www.gov.ie/dtcagsm
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeptCulturelRL
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DepartmentofCultureIRL
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tourism.culture.gaeltacht/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/departmentofcultureirl
Notes for Editors
Full details of the consultation are available here.
The Working Group has been meeting regularly since February. Minutes of each meeting, along with presentations and the work of three subgroups tasked with exploring the terms of reference in detail are available here.
The five key principles for the strategy are set out below:
- Counter Disinformation and protect freedom of speech using a rights based approach
- Counter Disinformation by building resilience and trust – at individual and societal levels
- Counter Disinformation through increased cooperation, collaboration and coordination
- Counter Disinformation through corporate accountability and regulatory enforcement
- Counter Disinformation through evidence based countermeasures and interventions
The members of the Working Group are:
- Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
- Department of Children, Equality Diversity, Integration and Youth
- Department of Education/Webwise
- Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
- Department of Foreign Affairs
- Department of Health/Health Service Executive
- Department of Justice
- Department of the Taoiseach
- European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) Ireland Hub at DCU FuJo
- Irish Council for Civil Liberties
- Library Association of Ireland
- Media Literacy Ireland
- National Youth Council of Ireland
- National Cyber Security Centre
- An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Electoral Commission)
- Coimisiún na Meán (Media Commission)
- Office of the Press Ombudsman
- Technology Ireland