The Select Committee on fake news, or to give it its proper title, the Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods - Causes, Consequences and Countermeasures, will hold public hearings in March 2018.
In a statement released by the Office of the Clerk of Parliament, on behalf of the Select Committee, the Committee will consider evidence presented by experts and industry stakeholders. Members of the public are allowed to take part too.
The announced dates for the hearings are:
- 14 to 16 March
- 22 to 23 March
- 27 to 29 March
As the hearings progress, the Committee will decide whether or not to use all the days it has set aside.
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Open to the public
These hearings will also be open to members of the public and the media, and will be held in Parliament's Public Hearing Room.
If you want to make written representations to the Committee, the deadline has been extended and you have up till 4:30 pm on March 7 to do so.
As of 4:30 pm on Feb. 27, the Committee has already received 62 submissions.
More details on both the written representations and the hearings, including who will be making the presentations, will be revealed after the Committee meets on March 9.
Its mandate
So what will the Select Committee actually do?
It's tasked with examining a policy issue in-depth.
In this case, the Committee will look at the problem of fake news -- or deliberate online falsehoods -- by hearing from expert witnesses and members of the public.
It can then present its recommendations to Parliament, who will decide the next step to take.
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