Dr. El-Minshawy: fighting rumors requires promoting awareness and a culture of information verification

Under the supervision of Dr. Ahmed El-Minshawy, president of Assiut University, the Faculty of Commerce organized today, Tuesday, April 22, an awareness seminar entitled "fighting rumors and false media", under the supervision of Dr. Ahmed abdulmoula, vice president of the University for education and Student Affairs, Dr. Alaa Abdul Hafeez, dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Adawi, vice dean for education and Student Affairs, Dr. Marwa Bakr, coordinator of student activities at the College, Dr. Rehab Al-Dakhli, head of the media department at the Faculty of Arts and media advisor to the president of Assiut University.

  The seminar was also attended by Dr. Amal Al-Dali, vice dean for community service and Environmental Development, Dr. Nesma Heshmat, vice dean for graduate studies and research, in addition to a group of faculty members, youth welfare officials, leaders preparation activity, and a large number of students.

Dr. Ahmed El-Minshawy, president of Assiut University, stressed that the University's mission is not limited to academic education only, but also extends to promoting real community awareness among its students through seminars and educational events that focus on important societal issues, foremost of which is the danger of rumors. He explained that the University seeks to open direct dialogue channels with young people and empower them with critical thinking tools, which enhances their ability to consciously and responsibly interact with the information they are exposed to daily through various media.

Dr. El-Minshawy added that the fight against rumors starts from enhancing awareness among individuals, spreading the culture of verifying sources, and motivating professional media to play its role in conveying the truth responsibly and transparently. In this context, he stressed that the state pays great attention to combating fake news, and supports platforms that provide reliable content.

For his side, Dr. Alaa Abdul Hafeez, dean of the Faculty of Commerce, stressed the importance of combating rumors as one of the most prominent national security challenges in the current era, pointing out that rumors are no longer just false news but have become a systematic means of destroying trust between citizens and state institutions, calling on students to investigate accuracy before circulating any information.

Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Adawi, vice dean of the Faculty of Commerce for education and Student Affairs, pointed out that rumors pose a serious challenge to the state's public policy, because of their direct impact on citizens ' confidence in their institutions, and their ability to destabilize society and confuse development plans. He explained that the "PPIS" program, one of the new programs at the college, contributes to fortifying public policies against the negative effects of misinformation and promoting good governance based on transparency and conscious community participation.

For her part, Dr. Marwa Bakr, coordinator of student activities, appreciated the efforts exerted by the university administration in supporting student awareness activities, noting the importance of enhancing media awareness among students and training them to verify information before circulating it. She stressed the need to take advantage of student activities as a space to spread awareness and strengthen national belonging.

Dr. Rahab Al-Dakhli, head of the media department and media adviser to the president of Assiut University, praised the university administration's support for student activities that contribute to building youth awareness and facing societal challenges. She stressed the importance of media awareness in the face of false media.

The lecture presented by Dr. Rahab Al-Dakhli addressed the impact of fake news and rumors on public opinion, reviewing vivid examples of misinformation using fabricated images, misleading headlines, artificial intelligence techniques, fake accounts and rumors, pointing out the danger of these examples to society.

Dr. Al-Dakhli stressed that confronting false media starts from the individual's awareness, calling for critical thinking and checking the sources of information before circulating them, and supporting clean and responsible professional media.

The media adviser to the president of Assiut University also pointed out that Egypt is a major target of the fourth generation wars, which rely on internal destabilization through unconventional means such as spreading rumors, spreading chaos, and questioning state institutions through social media, stressing that Egypt is the tip of the balance in the Middle East and a key axis in the equation of regional stability. She added that any attempt to reshape the map of the region cannot take place without influencing Egypt or trying to destabilize it, given its cultural, historical, geographical and political weight.

  She explained that the fourth generation wars are aimed at influencing the Egyptian interior by unconventional means, which do not rely on military invasion, but are based on psychological warfare, spreading rumors, spreading chaos, exploiting social media to spread lies, questioning state institutions and undermining citizens ' confidence in his leadership. She stressed that these wars aim to weaken the state from within, negatively affect the collective consciousness and sow a state of frustration and confusion, in order to control the Egyptian national decision and turn it from an independent decision to a subordinate.

  Dr. Rahab Al-Dakhli praised the wisdom and insightful vision shown by His Excellency President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in addressing these challenges, stressing that he provided a leading model in national leadership that faces the risks surrounding the homeland with determination and determination. She explained that President Al-Sisi put the interest of the homeland in the first place, and strived hard to build strong institutions and achieve stability at a time when the region was witnessing a series of collapses and challenges.

At the end of the seminar, an open dialogue was organized with the students about their social responsibility in the face of rumors and responding to them with awareness and knowledge. A proposal was also put forward to organize a series of awareness seminars within the College on topics such as the fourth generation Wars, The danger of rumors, and the impact of false media on society's awareness and stability.