Internet Rumors Need Faster Verification by Authorities

In this digital age, rumors and misleading information can be spread quickly over the internet, particularly on platforms such as Weibo or microblogs. Sina.com has recently established a rumor verification team to fight against the spread of false information on its platform.

Let's take a closer look with our reporter Liu Min.

With only a click of the mouse, rumors can be forwarded between microblogs very quickly. As an example, recently, perceptive netizens discovered that some photos displayed on microblogs depicting Beijng's June rainstorm had actually been fabricated.

Sina.com is one of the major internet portals in China with hundreds and thousands of users, and a majority of celebrities and renowned citizens have their microblog accounts on this portal. As recently as six months ago, the website decided to establish a specialized team to verify rumors and provide accurate information for its users. Tan Chao is in charge of the team.

"Before I took the job, I usually couldn't identify what information was real and what was fake. But during the rumor verification process, we discovered that a lof of information was false, including fake photos, fake news stories and rumors that had been spread through microblogs."

It's not just website portals which are taking on fact-checking responsibilities, but also a number of civic-minded netizens, who recently set up a Rumor Verification Federation on Sina.com's microblog system to help netizens identify fake information online.

Dianzizheng is the team leader of the federation. He says they've publicized more than 150 pieces which refute rumors, which attracted more than 10 thousand visitors within two months.

"We live in an age of new media, so we can't use the old methods to verify rumors. We can't wait for the media to verify the facts with related administrative departments and then release a formal announcement. We can't allow rumors to run rampant and then deal with it, we need to fight rumors while they're spreading. I think that this is the best way to deal with rumors nowadays."

Some experts say this demonstrates the advantages of the internet compared to other traditional media. The open platform allows information to be examined and clarified by netizens. But experts like Ding Wenguo, President of the Journalism and Communication College at the China University of Political Science and Law says this self-correction function of the internet is still quite limited.

"It's still quite difficult to tell which information is true in such an open environment by just reading a number of different opinions on the same issue. This is something which we need to pay attention to. If society is deluged with too much false information, and it's allowed to spread in such a fast manner, then people will be suspicious of all kinds of information including important information from authorities. It also exacerbates problems relating to social communications and mutual-understanding, which in turn harms society as a whole."

Experts suggest that the government should react more quickly in the internet age. Once a rumor begins to spread, administrative departments should make announcements as early as possible to dispel rumors before they lead to bad outcomes.

For CRI, I'm Liu Min.