Building a Fact-Checking Culture

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05 Mar 2025

4 Min Read

Siow Yuen Ching (Lecturer), Taylor's Team (Editor)
IN THIS ARTICLE

Without Meta’s automated checks to flag false information, the public may further gravitate towards media organisations for credible and accurate reporting of current affairs. However, The Edelman Trust Barometer 2025 Global Report revealed a slight decline in the percentage of trust in traditional media for general news and information from 62 per cent in 2024 to 58 per cent in 2025.

 

Therefore, this shift presents media organisations in Malaysia with a crucial opportunity to re-evaluate their internal fact-checking measures to ensure credibility in reporting. Media outlets could also establish dedicated fact-checking teams within their editorial departments to enhance accuracy and transparency in their reporting.

 

To rebuild trust, newsroom editors and journalists should adopt more rigorous verification procedures, prioritise transparency in their reporting and enforce strong editorial policies. This helps the public to distinguish credible news sources from unverified or agenda-driven content. As a result, this competition among media outlets for public trust may push the industry toward higher journalistic standards.

 

Restoring public confidence in the media

According to the Global Digital Report 2024, Malaysia has one of the highest social media penetration rates in Southeast Asia, with about 83% of the Malaysian population having a social media identity. The report also revealed that Malaysians rely heavily on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp for staying in touch with friends and family, keeping up with current events and finding entertainment. 

 

The rise of social media has fueled the growth of influencer marketing, where influencers shape public perception of products and brands by offering relatable and personal endorsements. By sharing their experiences directly with their audience, influencers create a sense of trust and authenticity that traditional advertising often lacks.

 

Beyond promotions, influencers or content creators often serve as alternative sources of information, with many Malaysians following them for insights on diverse topics from politics and health to social issues and entertainment. Without a layer of automated gatekeeping, social media personalities together with corporate brands must take greater responsibility for the accuracy of their content and the approach to content sharing to avoid misinformation-related controversies.

 

Influencers should fact-check the products and services they are promoting on their platform and verify their statements or claims before posting.  Spreading fake or misleading information could not only damage their reputation but endanger public safety, as seen in the recent controversy surrounding “edible cosmetics” promoted by a skincare brand. 

 

Similarly, corporations should implement internal guidelines requiring all social media posts to undergo fact-checking, particularly for sensitive topics like health, finance, and social justice. They may also work with fact-checking organisations to validate information before publishing.

 

Encouraging ethical content sharing among influencers and brands

Perhaps, most importantly, Meta’s adoption of Community Notes could also empower Malaysians to shift from passive consumption of digital content to a more active and critical engagement with information.

 

Media literacy skills are important to promote community-led verification efforts. To build a more informed society, fact-checking and ethical digital communication should be integrated into education curriculums in schools and higher education institutions to teach students to critically evaluate online sources and encourage responsible social media use.

 

Meanwhile, as an immediate starting point, the public could use fact-checking platforms, such as sebenarnya.my and jomcheck.org, to verify reports and debunk viral misinformation. Sebenarnya.my is a fact-checking website by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), for the public to check on facts and to obtain verification on fake viral news. JomCheck alliance is the first academe-media-civil society alliance in Malaysia to mitigate the harm of misinformation.

 

As the digital landscape evolves, building a society that values truth, accuracy, and ethical communication, regardless of what policies social media platforms choose to implement, is more crucial than ever. Rather than wait for platforms to regulate misinformation, Malaysia must take ownership of its information landscape through education, media integrity, and responsible content sharing.
Siow Yuen Ching is a senior lecturer in the School of Diploma and Professional Studies in Taylor’s College. A former journalist and features editor, she teaches journalism and mass communication for the Diploma in Communication programme.

 
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