“It is time to start the discussion on abolishing anonymity on the internet,” government spokesperson, Pavlos Marinakis, said on Wednesday speaking at a panel entitled “Institutions, Transparency and Tackling Disinformation” held as part of the Athens Alitheia Forum.
The discussion focused on the role of the media in the digital era, the rapid spread of fake news and whether the state and institutions can intervene effectively to curb the phenomenon.
“We hope the conference will become an institution”
The government spokesperson defended the Athens Alitheia Forum, expressing the view that it could evolve into a lasting institution, regardless of which government is in power.
Research highlights the scale of the problem
Referring to the findings of a survey on fake news presented earlier at the conference, Marinakis noted that the data illustrate the magnitude of the problem.
“More than 80% of people in the country believe that disinformation constitutes a major crisis. Over 50% admitted that they have at some point believed a false news story,” he noted.
According to Marinakis, society is calling for a more active role from the state. “About 85% of people believe the state should take measures. Therefore, we stand where society stands,” he added.
Institutional interventions in the media sector
Responding to questions from journalists, Marinakis referred to institutional changes introduced lately in the media sector.
“Truth takes time”
Concluding the discussion, the government spokesperson stressed that tackling disinformation is a complex challenge for modern democracies.
“Falsehood is attractive and spreads very quickly. Truth requires arguments, documentation and evidence,” he said, underlining that efforts to strengthen transparency and the credibility of information must continue.
The discussion ended with the shared conclusion that disinformation is one of the major challenges of the digital age, and that addressing it requires cooperation between the state, journalists, digital platforms and civil society.
The Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) is the media sponsor of the Athens Alitheia Forum.
