In November PIJI made a submission to the Digital Industry Group Inc (DIGI) on its draft Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation.

Our submission stated that the code did not sufficiently address the issue of news quality and the role that the availability of high-quality news plays in improving the digital information ecosystem.

A recommendation was made by PIJI to revisit this issue before the code takes effect and a clear framework be developed for assessing news quality, as well as measures to signal that quality to users in digital environments.

“We note the code focusses on disinformation, defined as inauthentic conduct that deceives or harms the public, or provides economic benefits to a user at the expense of the public,” PIJI states.

“While this aligns with the Australian Government’s response to the Digital Platforms Inquiry that set the need for a voluntary industry code, it does not address the ACMA position paper released in June 2020, which expanded the code to include both disinformation and the broader category of misinformation.

“PIJI recommends that the code be expanded to cover all types of misinformation.”

Click here to read our submission in full.