Building a discerning nation with a well-informed citizenry

From DNA-altering vaccines to the use of an anti-parasitic drug to treat COVID-19 – these are some of the controversial claims that have arisen during the pandemic. Just as virulent diseases can spread quickly, false facts, rumours and misinformation can?spread?just as fast.?It?can lead to widespread confusion, and even lethal consequences?for some.?Left unchecked,?many?could?get?lost?in the echo chambers of falsehoods.?

To stamp out such?disinformation and?misinformation, new laws have been enacted and proposed around the world to keep the Internet and media space safe. In Singapore for instance, the?Government has taken several measures?to counter this by?regulating?the online space. With everyone empowered to publish via social media, however, it is not possible nor practical for authorities to?regulate?every piece of information that is?shared?on the Internet.?

Our best bet against online disinformation and misinformation is to build an informed citizenry?and a thoughtful nation. By equipping?ourselves?with the skillsets to discern if a piece of information is credible or not,?we?will not be as easily moved by the falsehoods.?

But?even though?many?of us?think that?we?can?identify fake news, a recent local study has unveiled some concerning statistics. A 2022?survey ?by Nanyang Technological University’s Centre for Information Integrity and the Internet found that even as half of the respondents were confident that they could identify fake news on social media, about seven in 10 had unknowingly shared fake news.

Combating?online disinformation and misinformation

This is why?one of the four key pillars in our latest Libraries & Archives Blueprint 2025 (LAB25) is to nurture more informed citizens through our programmes, as Singapore’s knowledge institution.?

Since 2013, NLB has been running the S.U.R.E. programme to promote the importance of information searching and discernment among our readers – from young readers to the?general public. S.U.R.E. encourages everyone to undergo?four simple steps ?when evaluating the reliability of news sources – Source, Understand, Research,?and?Evaluate.?

During the pandemic, for instance, we published a list of COVID-19 fact-checking?tools ?as well as?resources ?to help?our?patrons fight the new wave of pandemic-related fake news.?We also?regularly?run webinars to?teach?participants how?to?evaluate online information and spot false information they find?social media.

And together with our?National Reading Movement ?initiative, we aim to?build an informed citizenry by?nurturing?a vibrant reading culture?where readers read broadly and reflect?critically?every day.

Be sure for life

As we strive to build an informed citizenry, we also hope to empower people with the ability to form more informed views about world topics through reading widely and familiarising oneself with a wide range of perspectives.

Our?Read to be SURE ?programme encourages the public to explore multiple perspectives on trending topics – from cryptocurrency to the Russia-Ukraine war.?Patrons?can?engage in thoughtful reading, critical thinking, and well-reasoned and lively discussions on current and emerging issues.?

?We recently launched the second volume of our Read to be SURE?video mini-series,?which?explores?big questions ranging from?complex?issues?like?gender equality ?to the impact of new technologies?like the Metaverse.?

Through our various efforts, we?hope that our patrons will cultivate the habit of?reflecting?deeply on what they read and come across every?day.?We will continue to?encourage?all?to read widely and learn?deeply, and?be more discerning of information which comes by.

Chris Koh

Programme Director

Programmes & Services

National Library Board