MELAKA, Feb 13 — A face-to-face public announcement programme, like the “Info On Wheels” (IOW), can help the government in its effort to curb the spread of fake news in the country, Minister of Communications and Multimedia Gobind Singh Deo said.
In fact, he said the face-to-face information dissemination mechanism would give enough space for the public to ask for details on any current issue or initiative being undertaken by the government.
“This (face-to-face mechanism) is very important because when we give information to the public, they can ask us directly for more details...this is where we can start giving the explanation.
“Through the pamphlets that we distribute, they can find the list of sources to refer to for more information, such as websites, Twitter, Facebook and even phone numbers to be contacted,” he told a press conference after launching the IOW programme organised by Information Department in Melaka Sentral here today.
Also present were State Communication, Multimedia, Non-Governmental Organisations, Youth and Sports Development Committee chairman Kerk Chee Yee and Melaka Information director Mohd Rizal Hashim.
Gobind said the move is also to provide an avenue for the people to double-check and verify the authenticity of the information they received and to ensure that only real and authentic news will be shared.
On the IOW programme, the minister said although no target was set on how many people would be reached through the programme, he would like it to reach as many people as possible.
Between January 23 and yesterday, the Information Department has organised 1,775 IOW programmes nationwide with the main aim to explain to the public all the current issues and initiatives taken by the government for the benefit of the people, such as e-wallet, mySalam, Peka40, toll reduction, and the 2019 novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
“This is indeed a good service for the (public) and I have also joined the programme at least once a week. The response we received so far is very good,” he added. — Bernama
