Most of the countries around the world are facing a crisis in democracy. If we were to point out two main causes of this crisis, first, it would be the spread of populism, and second, the proliferation of fake news.
Populism may appear to allocate policy resources for the 'common people,' but it often does so by excluding so-called 'other' groups, not based on political support. As a result, important diversity and freedom of expression within democracy are infringed upon. Fake news undermines the credibility of information and distorts judgment when making democratic decisions. It diminishes the quality of public discussion or conversation and encourages extreme opinions and biases. When populism and fake news combine, decisions are made based on biased information, eroding the trust in democracy.
In this session, we aim to clarify the essence of populism and fake news, which pose fundamental threats to the core principles and values of democracy, and discuss various strategies and methods to address them.
