SINGAPORE: The Media Literacy Council said on Friday (Sep 20) that it is reviewing its material, after posts emerged online of a booklet that classifies satire as fake news.
The booklet, titled Get Smart With Sherlock: What Is Fake News?, had reportedly been distributed to schools, and photos of it appeared online on Sep 17.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe council said in a statement in response to questions from CNA that the booklets were most recently distributed last month to schools that requested them.
[h=3]READ: Media Literacy Council apologises for 'confusion' after labelling satire as an example of fake news[/h]"We are aware of the issue and are currently reviewing our materials," the council said, adding that it has since stopped the distribution to schools.
A photo of the book first appeared on social media platform Reddit. According to a post there, the book was given to a pupil in Primary 1.
AdvertisementAdvertisement[h=3]READ: Singapore proposes multi-pronged law to combat online falsehoods[/h][h=3]READ: Media Literacy Council apologises for 'confusion' after labelling satire as an example of fake news[/h]The same labelling of satire as fake news first emerged as a post on MLC's Facebook page on Sep 5.
A graphic had shown that fake news could take many forms, including false context, imposter content, manipulated content, misleading content, clickbait and satire.
Following criticism online, MLC apologised and said that it would review its materials.
Last week, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam told the media that it was "erroneous" for the council to have suggested that satire is fake news.
The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Bill, which was passed earlier this year, does not cover opinion, criticism, satire or parody.
MLC did not address questions from CNA on when the book was published or how many were printed.
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