FORUM: Special Conference on the Question of Socioeconomic Justice and Equity

FORUM: Special Conference on the Question of Socioeconomic Justice and Equity

QUESTION OF: Ensuring the validity of information reported by media outlets

MAIN-SUBMITTEDBY: Laos

CO-SUBMITTED BY: Italy, France, China, Japan, Cyprus, Philippines

THE SPECIAL CONFERENCE

Deeply Concerned that the UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Mr. David Kaye has stated, “Fake news” has emerged as a global topic of concern and there is a risk that efforts to counter it could lead to censorship, the suppression of critical thinking and other approaches contrary to human rights law,”

Noting that because of the popularity and global nature of social media platforms, “fake news”, falsehoods, and misinformation can lead to an international impact affecting economic stability, political sustainability, and international security,

Understanding that according to a Pew Research Center study in 2016, 62% of U.S. adults get their news from social media, leaving them exposed to the dangerous effects of “fake news” from those social media platforms,

Alarmed that in a study from Stanford University, researchers Hunt Allcott and Matthew Gentzkow found that “fake news” websites received more than 159 million visits during the U.S. presidential election of 2016,

Recalling the General Assembly Resolution A/RES/2/110 of 1947, arguing against the use of “fake news” and propaganda to promote acts of aggression, and Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and “Fake News” Disinformation and Propaganda FOM/GAL/3/17 of 3rd March 2017 focusing on the dissemination of fake news while maintaining the freedom of expression,

Bearing in mind news websites and newspapers are greatly influential to the readers’ input of the world, as sources they trust and their method of being updated internationally,

Aware publishing “fake news” has become a huge source for income through advertisements and monetization, both influential incentives for this issue,

Acknowledging the ‘reCAPTCHA’ verification system as a shown reliable method for verifying if a user is human or not.

1. Urges member states and UN-sub organizations to collaborate and establish an accurate definition or criteria for so-called “legitimate information” and “fake news”—with consideration of the variety in “fake news” (informal jokes, opinioned writing) and how efforts to counter it could lead to censorship violating human rights—in which all future discussion will be based off.

1. Further urges for the creation of a UN sub-organization Fake News Regulation Committee (UNFNRC) which is dedicated to overviewing and managing “fake news” worldwide with the input and support of social media and organizations outside of the UNFNRC by:

1. having a team consisting of researchers from a multitude of different fields which will:

1. search through different social media platforms, news articles, and news websites based on said trending posts to adjust or restrict major, recent posts consisting of “fake news” and misinformation to have correct information with the cooperation of fact-checking organizations and reliable news sources,
2. aid the FNRC’s creation of a new, credible, and reliable news program by cooperating and providing updated information with correct feedback,
3. work with fact-checking organizations to clarify the suspected “fake news”,
4. use different methods to discover possible hackers behind the creation of “fake news” and restrict or delete the news based on the ‘definition’ of “fake news” previously established
5. continually update a list of so-called “fake news” articles and organizations,

1. promote correct news articles and fact-checking organizations and reaffirm the solution proposed to spread these ‘correct’ information,
2. educate the public on ways to strengthen media literacy and ways to avoid false information in ways such as but not limited to:

1. having billboards and radio stations and social media posts to include tips and guides to spot “fake news”,
2. incorporating educating students about “fake news” in the education curriculum primarily for elementary and middle school systems, specifically directed towards educating how to effectively react from media threats including “fake news” articles,
3. further incorporating a “fake news” curriculum in online education systems including government sites and online schools,
4. introducing public activities and events including fairs or TED talks in major cities, later integrating into different areas in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs), which will further educate the public on the issue at hand and raise funding to support the FNRC;

1. Incorporating a “fake news” flag to be toggled if a human-being (gone through the ‘reCAPTCHA’ system) believes this article fulfills the aforementioned definition of “fake news” on news websites, and creating a platform where people can submit suspected “fake news” or news medias for the FNRC and fact-checking organizations to then check;

1. Adopts the restriction of advertisements or revenue on “fake news” media outlets or “fake news” articles done in ways such as but not limited to:

1. requesting fact-checking organizations, the UNFNRC, and social media platforms to cooperate and look through the internet for more popular news articles, restricting advertisements on those “fake news” articles fake done in ways such as but not limited to:

1. prioritizing more flagged articles and news posts to be checked and or adjusted,
2. remaining updated on previously known “fake news” outlets,
3. creating a paid job or having UN-certified workers in the UNFNRC specifically look through social media and news articles to then send to the UNFNRC and fact-checking organizations,

1. proving incentives for social media platforms and advertisement organizations such as Google AdSense to restrict the potential income from users’ “fake news” articles,
2. limiting or restricting the selling of the news article, and if found “fake news” multiples times within a news platform, restrict the sale of the news organization as a whole;

1. Strongly urges member states and fact-checking organizations to aid “correct” and news articles with “true information” to grow in popularity to spread the “real news” more often done in ways such as but not limited to:

1. having more popular social media platform accounts and organizations to:

1. spread the legitimate and “correct” news articles within their own organization,
2. further raise awareness of these true news platforms’ posts containing correct information,

1. expanding the range of advertisements on different social media platforms or in general to allow the advertising of these factually-correct news posts;

1. Further urges for annual regional conventions addressing topics regarding news inconsistencies with members such as teachers specializing in current events, state delegates focusing on recent events, and other experts mastering in social media or online news networking which will:

1. discuss and set-in-action further possibilities and opportunities to disseminate “fake news” beyond the solutions this resolution currently provides done in ways such as but not limited to:

1. recommending and sending all feasible solutions discussed to the UN and FNMO to be further discussed and possibly set in action,
2. generate ideas to perfect the automated fact-checking system and further methods to promote media literacy,

1. be updated on problems regarding “fake news” worldwide and discuss feasible responses to the current situations and issues facing “fake news” and media literacy, sending those possible solutions to the UN to be confirmed;

1. Encouragemember nations to implement a penalty system includingthe suspension of their social media responsibilities for “fake news” authorsand the restriction the abilities of the “fake news” article which will be determined by the UN sub-organizations along with other member nations and organizations, based on the severity of the effect of the “fake news”;

1. Asks for social media organizations, the UN, the FNRC, and other fact-checking organizations develop an algorithm based off aforementioned criteria for “fake news” and claimed “fake news” articles, which will work similarly to the FNRC’s team of researchers.