The challenges of legal regulation of public information and self-regulation for professional journalism

The international conference with participants from three Baltic States analyzed the current Situation regarding tensions between Fake News and media freedom. How to control false news while ensuring media freedom? The speaker Ricardo Gutierrez, secretary-general of the European Federation of Journalists, emphasized that the media themselves can strengthen journalism by promoting professional ethics and self-regulatory mechanisms. By fostering contacts with civil society, educating and informing society such as strengthening policy transparency, it is possible to combat Fake News and disinformation. Particularly, Baltic States are affected by propaganda and Fake News, though are fighting against it. Even the population doesn't consider Fake News as a great threat.

In the conference, speakers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania did not only share bad experiences, but also presented best practice examples in their countries. Particularly affected are the regional media, which are less financially and personally equipped and are often under pressure by local politicians. However, after all the presentations and discussions, there was an encouraging conclusion that the key remains in the hands of journalists: by increasing the professionalism of reporting and complying with journalists' professional ethics, the media can perform its main task objectively.

Live-stream of the Event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqeK59EbSuM (in lithuanian)