EUPRERA joins ICCO’s Media Information and Education Pledge founded alongside the Council of Europe, EACD (European Association of Communication Directors), GWPR (Global Women in PR), and The Trust Project, the international consortium of news organizations promoting standards of transparency in journalism.

Launched in Strasbourg in June 2023, the Pledge stands as a testament to the shared responsibility that various entities – including PR & communications, media, journalism, institutions, tech platforms, and fact-checking organizations – bear in addressing the pressing issue of misinformation. This collaborative effort aims to foster shared solutions, preventative methods, and a commitment to educating industry professionals and the wider public.

The principles guiding the Pledge are:

  1. Uphold the values of free speech and democratic debate.
  2. Promote the importance of trusted, reliable sources of information and explain their collective value to employees, other media stakeholders and the public.
  3. Educate employees to differentiate trustworthy information from dis/misinformation and introduce protocols to institutionalize this process.
  4. Use large language learning models and other generative AI tools responsibly, recognizing both their potential value and the risk of undermining access to trustworthy information.
  5. Identify and take steps to eradicate both disinformation (intentional) and misinformation (unintentional).
  6. Pro-actively educate other media stakeholders offering guidance, tools and training to assist in identifying trustworthy information and removing misinformation online.
  7. Take collective responsibility in educating the public and assisting in the identification, alerting, and removing of misinformation.
  8. Share responsibility, resources, training and best practice across organisations, sectors and borders, developing concrete actions that can be applied by stakeholders internationally.
  9. Call out media suppression, especially when it occurs under the guise of protecting against misinformation.
  10. Educate and inform employees and stakeholders on the technology used in information threat by unreliable and unaccountable actors.

Stefania Romenti, on behalf of EUPRERA, highlighted the importance of continuous media education and literacy in adapting to the evolving challenges in communication and public relations. She emphasized, “Academic study and research of misinformation will be a vital part of tackling this threat to ethical and professional communication, and I am proud that EUPRERA has joined ICCO’s call to join forces and share responsibility in combatting the issue.” Throughout 2024 EUPRERA will start addressing and incorporating the Pledge in its activities.

Massimo Moriconi, European President and Misinformation Lead at ICCO, underscored the relevance of the pledge in combating misinformation, particularly in light of the irresponsible use of Artificial Intelligence: “Our Pledge takes on a relevant significance and serves as a foundation on which ICCO will continue to build the partnerships necessary to create shared solutions and education tools.”

 

Press release │ Pledge