WHILE think-tanks are often the go-to for journalists seeking “expert” comments, the media must be wary of misinformation and bias that can be spread through such organisations, reporters from around the globe were told at a recent seminar organised by the US Foreign Press Centre.

Think-Tanks and Civil Societies Programme (TTCSP) director Dr Jim McGann said in order for the media to not be manipulated by outfits with certain agendas, it is crucial for journalists to fact-check.

“In this new environment, there are great questions about who we can trust and what is their source if it is responsible information,” he said at the Media Literacy and Combating Misinformation seminar attended by The Malaysian Insight.

McGann said the spread of misinformation is as rampant in Asia as it is in the West.

“Many of the countries and many of the people involved use very sophisticated technology.

“South Korea is the most wired country in the world. In Southeast Asia – Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand – it is an issue everywhere, and it is a major issue, and will continue to be so.”

He said falsehoods are also spread on social media, and there is a need for a higher level of media literacy so that people are able to weed out inaccurate information.

There is heightened awareness now, especially after the widespread media coverage of the 2016 US president election and Russian meddling in the polls using information warfare and technology.

“There is tremendous awareness on what they have done, and how they did it.

“(The awareness was) largely (created) by journalists. That is how important the role of the media is in creating awareness.”

While not all think-tanks have an agenda to misinform the people, journalists must now be more vigilant than ever.

TTCSP is based at the University of Pennsylvania, and conducts research on the role that policy institutions play in governments and civil society worldwide.

It maintains a multi-sectoral database of more than 6,500 think-tanks in 179 countries, and the Global Go-To Think-Tank Index. The index was created based on an international survey of more than 7,500 scholars, public and private donors, policymakers and reporters, who ranked the institutions using criteria developed by TTCSP. – November 3, 2018.