The Memorandum introduces a regional cooperation initiative to combat fake news and enhance PR education. It was drafted by the national public relations associations of eight countries and is based on discussions from a regional summit held in November 2023.
Highlights of the Memorandum:
Challenges: Fake news is spreading faster and is harder to detect due to technological advances and the development of artificial intelligence. This affects political, economic and social narratives in the region.
Mission: Strengthening public discourse through transparency and ethics, reducing misinformation and defending democratic values.
Actions:
- strengthening cooperation between PR associations in the region;
- supporting national associations in combating anti-democratic and exclusionary discourse;
- sharing experiences and good practices on crisis management with local and regional third parties;
- promoting cooperation between institutions, academia and media;
- enhancing education for future professionals by updating university curricula.
The national public relations associations will carry out these commitments, as well as any other necessary activities, with integrity, transparency and in accordance with ICCO ethical principles and norms.
With the signing of the Memorandum, regular meetings and events should be organized to track progress, share observations, and adjust strategy as needed. The success of the collaboration will be measured based on:
- reduction of anti-democratic discourse;
- increase in civic engagement to strengthen democratic values;
- reduction in disinformation and fake news;
- increased resilience of society in defense of democratic values
The Memorandum on Regional Cooperation in Combating Fake News and Enhancing PR Education is signed by Maxim BeharPresident of the World Communication Forum Association (WCFA); Grzegorz Szczepańskifounder and president of the Polish Public Relations Consultancies Association (ZFPR) and president of ICCO; Andras Sztaniszlav,president of the Hungarian PR Association (HuPRA) and chief executive of ICCO; Iva Grigorovapresident of the Bulgarian Association of PR Agencies (BAPRA); Sergii BidenkoPresident of The United PR Association of Ukraine (UPRA); Cătălin Hosu,President of the Romanian Association of Public Relations (ARRP); Radek Maršík,President of the Association of Public Relations from Czech Republic (APRA); Mario Aunedi MedekPresident and Board Member of the Croatian Public Relations Association (CPRA) and Ludmila AndronicHonorary President of the Association of Public Relations from Republic of Moldova (ASPR).
