Tags: Fake news bill

Pooled editorial | Anti-fake news bill: Dangerous – and unnecessary

The bill’s definition of fake news provides us a clue. It claims that fake news is any information that intends to sow hatred, chaos, violence or division, or seeks to blacken someone’s reputation. Intent and malice will therefore be the basis for deciding what is fake news, which in turn will lead to the prosecution of the party involved – but how does one distinguish between a false report based on an honest mistake and one maliciously spread through print, broadcasting and online?