Truth behind news has never been so important
- Rumours and fake information spread easily on social media, and as recent clashes at a train station have shown lead to confusion and fuel anger
There used to be a time when what you saw was what you believed. But in the age of social media, people tend to believe anything being circulated. The avalanche of online speculation and rumour over the extradition bill protests has not only left many confused and sceptical about what they see and hear online, but also led some to believe false information. This is not helped when journalists of traditional media are sometimes restricted from carrying out legitimate reporting duties, while those in positions of authority to clarify matters are fighting an uphill battle in restoring credibility and trust.
The repeated attempts to dispel rumours of three people having been killed during police enforcement actions inside Prince Edward MTR station on August 31 underline the challenge. Doubts first emerged when injury figures reported by different authorities did not tally. Speculation soon spread like wildfire on social media, referring to a two-hour gap in which journalists had been chased away while the injured were said to have been taken to another station on a special train before being transferred to hospital.
MTR releases images of station clashes in which protesters claim 3 died
Officials later explained that owing to the chaos, the number of injured was initially miscounted. But their explanation raised more questions than answers, prompting calls for the train operator to release security camera footage as evidence. In a joint media session with the Hospital Authority, the fire services and police, the MTR Corporation released still images in chronological order taken from different cameras, but still refused to show recordings in full for privacy reasons.
Government commitment to debunking rumours is to be welcomed, but whether selective still images can clear the air is another matter, especially when there is a low level of public trust in the government. With social media being the major source of news for many, the importance of disseminating accurate and true information cannot be overstated. The Post became a victim of fake news when an online post claimed we had reported the government would respond to another protest demand. Unlike traditional news media where fact checking is sacrosanct, the sharing of unverified messages is just a click away on social media. That makes responsible journalism and press freedom even more important.
