Healthy Media Ecosystem Best Disinformation Antidote

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A healthy media ecosystem is the best antidote for disinformation, along with transparency of governance and media literacy, the general secretary of the European Federation of Journalists, Ricardo Gutierrez, stated on Feb. 23.

During the debate "European Code of Practice on Disinformation – a step in the right direction," Gutierrez spoke about the need for a pluralist, independent, economically sustainable media system, and stated that journalists had to be able to work without threats and fear of losing their job.

"The best antidote for disinformation is a healthy media ecosystem. The EU should support independent and professional journalistm, to secure decent work conditions for journalists, fight against media concentration and secure the political independence of public media services," Gutierrez said. He stressed that the EU had to promote the transparency of those in power, because the greater the transparency, the less disinformation there is, the EurActiv portal has quoted him as saying.

Jasna Jelisic, the chief of the strategic communication group for the Western Balkans of the European External Action Service, concurred with the stance that a healthy media ecosystem was key for the fight against disinformation and that transparency was very important. She said that the Code of Practice on Disinformation was important, but still only one element in the broad action that the EU had launched in the fight against disinformation.