Funds should be put forward towards a project that will include a team of journalists, from each media house, so as a fact-checking team is formed, the PN said during a press conference, on Saturday.
The idea is that a team, composed from all newsrooms, will identify incorrect information and to issue the right information, so as the community has the right information to guide them during this crisis, PN MP, Therese Comodini Cachia said.
The media houses should come up with their ideas of how this can work. She said the most important thing is that the team is objective and independent. "This is not a time for media houses to serve as a notice board for what the government has to say."
She noted that it is of utmost importance that the government provides financial measures, directed specifically towards the media houses, so as access to correct information is provided, at the right time.
Comodini Cachia said that a lot of incorrect information is circulating on social medial platforms and not enough is being done to discredit this information, for which many have access to and are falling for.
Another measure being proposed by the PN is to finance online news projects for newsrooms that have online news portals. The projects should be about disseminating the correct information, for example, debates by experts, programs about what is going on, and what procedures one is to follow, Comodini Cachia said.
The third measure is for a government-implemented messaging information system. The government should create a system for everyone to receive direct information, straight from the government, for example, via SMS. Everyone will have access to the correct information that is so important during these days, she continued.
Incentives for artists and 'online influencers' for them to create their own mediums to provide the correct information should also be provided, Comodini Cachia said. "These people have an influence on members of the public and they should be given incentives to participate in disseminating the information."
The government should also finance videos and films, directed towards children and youths that form part of the education system. The films need to address incorrect information and also educate how people should recognise incorrect information.
Many teachers are giving eduction online at the moment, she said, and through platforms like "my school", a film could be distributed to children and youths in the education system.
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation said "We are not just fighting an epidemic we are fighting an infodemic," Comodini Cachia noted, adding that the media, and journalists, should be recognised by the government as an important tool against the fight of COVID-19.
PN MP, David Thake said that media houses are a particular sector, and that these companies have seen their income collapse because of what is happening. Media houses depend on income from advertising, online and in print. Businesses are passing through a very hard time, he said, so the first thing to decline is advertising. "This is putting the media houses' viability in great difficulty."
He explained that two days ago, six media houses, issued several proposals to the Prime Minister, one of which was an exception from VAT. Thake said this would be of great help for these media houses and the PN is asking the government to support this measure.
Media houses, mostly comprising of SMEs, should have a direct contribution towards the wages of journalists, Thake noted. "During this time the work of journalists is maybe more important than usual. A good journalist is needed at this time and should not be lost because his wages cannot be paid. Journalists need to keep their jobs and focus on covering the new Coronavirus crisis."
Many people find their news on social media, Thake said, adding that many do not realise that social media is about sharing news by media houses. Social media is just a platform to distribute the news, and is not a news portal, he noted.
During this difficult time, media houses need to invest in their digital media. Today, much of the consumption of news is via mobile phones, so media houses need to distribute the information in a manner which is adapted to today's world, including websites adapted to mobile phones, and applications on different platforms, he said.
The media is considered to be the fourth pillar of democracy, PN MP Karl Gouder said, and since this virus will probably change the world, this pillar must be safeguarded. The correct information must be put forward in the shortest time possible, he noted.
Many people are at home, at the moment, and are practically living on social media, but social media also has the disadvantage that it disseminates incorrect information quickly. Unfortunately, the incorrect information circulates the quickest, Gouder said.
There should be a direct point of contact between government and media houses, Gouder said, so as they have access to the right information. There should be a method of communication so journalists can ask about cases, measures, and what the government is doing.
"What we are living is not only a health crisis but is also a socio-economic crisis and for this reason, the journalist needs to have the right information, as soon as possible."
An educative campaign should also be launched by the government, Gouder said. He also proposed that a type of database should be formed, with information the government has about the virus, and access should be provided to journalists. This could include verified websites, and updates about what is going on in the country, and the world around us.
When asked about specific numbers for funding these measures, Comodini Cachia said that “If government found the €4.5 million to finance a marketing campaign through VistaJet, surely it can find the funds to sustain media houses.”
The government should find this money, actually exceede this amount, as here we are talking about information that everyone needs, she said.