Thessaloniki, 20 March 2023 (MIA) – Representatives of news agencies that are a part of the Association of the Balkan News Agencies – Southeast Europe (ABNA-SE), including MIA, signed a Declaration in Thessaloniki on Monday to fight the spread and distribution of disinformation. 

The ABNA-SE members decided to strengthen their cooperation in order to offer consistent and objective information and fighting fake news, regardless of their medium, by respecting the fundamental rights and legal principles of the freedom of expression and information, the freedom of mass media and pluralism, as well as respecting journalistic and ethical standards.

Every agency will set up contact points for a timely and valid verification of disinformation in order to prevent its spread, as well as joint activities in the fight against fake news. The Declaration was signed during the conference dedicated to the role of news information in the new Balkan reality, organized by ABNA-SE.

As an ABNA-SE member, MIA participated, represented by editor-in-chief Ana Cvetkovska and MIA’s Athens correspondent Sanja Ristovska.

Among the topics of discussion at the conference was the accelerated digital development, its influence on the media sphere, the surge of information on social media, the role of traditional media and the need for media literacy to deal with this surge of information and recognizing it objectively.

EC VP Margaritis Schinas pointed out that manipulation and disinformation have never been so focused on the public of the region of the Western Balkans, and the media has a key role to play in the fight against false narratives and foreign disinformation.

EANA Secretary General Alexandru Ion Giboi said that news agencies are doing a lot to fight disinformation, and pointed out that the final impact of information is that it generates decisions – it’s connected to the people’s choices and that it’s important for the people to do so based on objective and verified information.

He also pointed out the need to reach the youth by implementing new tech in media, as well as the importance of investing in media literacy.

“If not, we will face unpleasant surprises in about 10 years because we’ll have an audience that won’t know what to do with the noise of social media,” EANA Secretary General said.

Dimitris Galamatis, Secretary General for Communication and Information of Greece, pointed to the importance of news agencies in the distribution of objective information to the citizens, highlighting the importance of national agencies when it comes to information.

“National agencies have a key role in fact-checking, which is very important when disinformation is so large,” Galamatis said.

Aimilios Perdikaris, current president of ABNA-SE said that this debate takes place during major geopolitical happenings which affect the way media works. The military conflict in Ukraine shifted current events and it affects overall life and the work of the media. He pointed out that the news agencies that are a part of ABNA-SE have one goal: to strengthen cooperation in the fight against disinformation. dk/nn/