Number of unregistered online publications increases in Kyrgyzstan

Number of unregistered online publications is increasing in Kyrgyzstan. Media expert Gulnura Toralieva said at the presentation of Media Influence Matrix research.
According to the laws of the country, online publications do not belong to the media, since they are not specified in the law. However, many publications are registered with the Ministry of Justice as media. They try to comply with the law and minimum ethical standards.
"At the same time, the number of unregistered online publications, including those that disseminate fake information, is increasing in the country. Many of them do not have their own website and imprint, but only work on Facebook and Instagram. It is impossible to hold them responsible," she noted.
At the same time, fake news and misinformation are the most serious challenges for the media.
"The most resonant materials are paid for as for advertising on social networks; dozens of fake accounts in groups share them, creating a stir. Sometimes, real information is shared by real users, taking it as true. The main objective of such fake media resources are informational attacks on political resources," she noted.
The study stresses that a movement to expose fakes is developing in Kyrgyzstan, but the percentage of the population who trust such information is quite high - about 30 percent.