Journalists are currently at the forefront of the fight against an epidemic of mistrust. The representatives of media are the ones able to dispel myths and fake news, the number of which has grown even more since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis. This was concluded by participants of the Belt and Road Forum of Journalist Organizations that was held online.
“The economic crisis caused by the pandemic is causing another huge problem, a crisis of trust. The wave of fake news is growing, the gap between nations is deepening, mistrust and hostility are increasing as well. We cannot let this happen! Using the basic ideas and principles that underlie the spirit and idea of journalism, we must strengthen our cooperation and dialogue between journalists and peoples,”said Timur Shafir, Executive Secretary of Russian Union of Journalists.
“Journalists witness the courage and perseverance that people around the world have shown in the fight against the pandemic. They help build trust and friendship between peoples of different countries. Our forum helps them do this together. We hope that journalist organizations from different countries will keep expanding exchanges and cooperation, enhance mutual trust as well as instill confidence in people for economic recovery,” added Xu Lin, Director of Chinese State Council’s Information Office.
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