MMC urges to be wary of misinformation on "Dhiyavaru"

Maldives Media Council (MMC) has issued a public advisory urging the public to be wary of the misinformation being published on 'dhiyavaru.com'.

In a press advisory issued today, MMC said that the council has been receiving multiple complaints of defamation against unregistered media platforms.

Out of the 77 requests received this year, 63 were against articles and images published on 'dhiyavaru.com', the advisory reads.

"Upon examination of the complaints and other articles published on 'dhiyavaru.com' by the complaints investigation committee, it was found that most of the content published on the website was in violation of the Media Council Act and regulations as well as the code of conduct to be followed by media," the advisory reads.

This is violating the public's right to the truth and protection of reputation, while also causing the spread of misinformation among the public, it also said.

MMC said that although unregistered media are regulated and recognised by the council under the Media Council Act, and they are legally required to take action when media which violate the imposed code of conduct, it is not the council's aim to take action against media outlets. Instead, the law and regulations are focused around reaching amicable solutions through dialogue, the council also said.

"However, the laws, regulations and complaints review procedures do not specify how to investigate and take action in cases related to unregistered media. [A]nd since [these are] unregistered media operated in anonymity, there is no way to follow general procedures in reviewing complaints as well," MMC's statement further reads.

The Council also said that they do not believe blocking all websites that spread misinformation is the solution, highlighting that doing so would set Maldives behind in the press freedom index.

As such, the council has decided to follow global common practice and make aware the public about the spread of misinformation, MMC further said.

As per MMC, 'dhiyavaru.com posts about five to ten pieces of content on both its website and social media combined, mainly aimed at criticising President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the First Lady and government officials as well as the ruling party People's National Congress (PNC) members of the Parliament.

Out of all the complaints submitted to the council against 'dhiyavaru.com' 61 were from the President's Office, noted MMC. The other two were submitted by Public Service Media (PSM) and Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), it was revealed.

In the advisory, MMC also highlighted that all of the complaint forms submitted by the President's office claimed that "the purpose of spreading such false news is to create hatred in the hearts of the public against President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, and to diminish public trust against him."

The council also highlighted that while the burden of submitting evidence to disprove claims made by media outlets is on the party filing the complaint, all but one form were submitted without any such documentation.

Issues noted by MMC

- 'dhiyavaru.com' published multiple false and disproven claims.

- 'dhiyavaru.com did not attempt to get official statements from relevant authorities or those accused of serious claims such as corruption.

- Some of the information published contained inaccuracies.

- Despite some claims made on the website being disproven, 'dhiyavaru.com' failed to retract, apologise or clarify the matter.

- 'dhiyavaru.com' used language that should not be used when publishing content about individuals, and failed to give due respect and dignity to individuals mentioned in the content.

- Some content published on 'dhiyavaru.com' were published as facts despite the claims being rumours. Author's personal opinions were also added to such content.

- Content published on 'dhiyavaru.com' criticising individuals failed to present a balanced view or get comments from the individual being criticised, especially in relation to theft and corruption.

- Multiple violations of the code of conduct to be followed by media.

- Clickbait headlines without much details in the main content.

Given the situation, MMC implored the public to cross verify claims made by 'dhiyavaru.com', and to refrain from re-sharing content published by the website on social media, due to the large amount of misinformation being shared on the platform.

The council also advises the public to not just read the headline, but also made sure that the content within the articles are in line with journalistic standards and portray the truth, keeping in mind the platform's bias.

In the past, the Maldivian government took action against two news websites operated in the country for alleged misinformation. At the time, MMC said that unregistered news, magazines and websites are also declared "media" under clause 36 of the Media Council Act, and that there were no complaints filed against the two websites which were blocked.

The government's action against the two websites was heavily scrutinised by journalists and media organisations, calling to stop infringing on press freedom. In response, the government said that they would not block any websites that are operating with a registration.