Abstract

We are living in times of redefinition.
A rapid and expansive development of social media has entirely changed our perception of information. People tend to follow the hasty movement and seem to be lost in the maze and quantity of news, data, images and videos. All types of crises amplify this phenomenon. From the point of view of content providers, information can be easily adapted to their (hidden) agenda - often manipulated and misused. A notion of disinformation has been born, followed by a series of related ones, the definitions of which started to grow and evolve in a comparable pace to (dis-)information itself.

The destructive effect of disinformation, spread on the internet and reproduced by some media, is truly powerful. Especially since reaching a mass audience with it, using social media, is done at extremely low cost nowadays. That is why disinformation, understood as the conscious transmission of untrue, distorted data or narratives, has become so popular in recent years.

My intervention will address those aspects juxtaposing them to the current place and changing roles of the official data and statistics in the contemporary world. Bearing in mind that the official statistics, following closely the digital revolution, is in the constant process of redefinition itself, I will argue that it can have a powerful effect of be the natural foe of disinformation, pursuing the truth and ensuring to every citizen the right to a truthful information.

How do official statisticians leverage their position - based on very solid UN FPOS foundations - to have their voice heard in the disinformation-related debate, while at the same time staying impartial and focused on conveying a true message?
I will address this query by giving some concrete examples of tracking disinformation, exposing it and correcting fake news, applied at Statistics Poland.