"The online and offline worlds are completely intertwined, especially for adolescents"

VUB professor Iris Steenhout studied computer science, criminology and engineering, and specialises in machine learning: she builds algorithms that she applies to large data sets. Her research areas are very diverse, ranging from aggression in public transport to media reporting and healthcare.

Iris Steenhout: "For example, we use machine learning to search patients' medical records for factors that can delay the transition from a non-frail to a frail state. With this knowledge, we can help people to continue living independently at home for longer. In the past, this type of research required us to interview many people or comb through paper files. That was years of work. The digital dataset is much larger, and we can go through it much faster."

For your PhD, you also applied this type of machine learning to news articles. In your opinion, not all of them are equally reliable.
"For many media outlets, searching for facts or the truth is less important than seeking attention. Their primary goal is to boost their viewing and readership figures."

Aren't you lumping them all together?
"Of course there are differences between the popular and quality press, but the scientific consensus is that they are converging in this respect. In addition, there is another phenomenon at play, which German sociologist Niklas Luhmann called the acceleration of communication. Whenever a new form of communication has emerged in history – writing, printing, film – it has led to major social changes. With social media, this is happening faster than ever. Today, anyone can call themselves a journalist and disseminate news or information, quickly and often without much knowledge of the subject matter. Traditional media feel the hot breath of these influencers on their necks. They tend to publish more and more news at an ever-increasing pace. As a result, there is less time or attention for fact-checking."

The question is: who still follows traditional media?
"That's true. Young people in particular are getting their news less and less from newspapers or television, and more and more from social media. The automated confirmation bias of these new media is an additional problem. The algorithm only shows you what interests you. You end up in an echo chamber, which constantly reinforces your own ideas and interests. Other voices are no longer heard."

Many people also find it hard to believe that the boy is only thirteen.
"It's not that unusual, as any criminologist will tell you. Crime is not exclusive to adults. So it's not a new phenomenon. Long ago, there were also city gangs of young teenagers who crossed the line or caused riots."

Was this in the newspapers back then?
"Less often, and certainly not as quickly as today. Now we get that kind of news almost in real time and unfiltered. It becomes news immediately, because everyone films everything and posts it online."

Fake news remains a plague. What can we do about it?
"In-depth research is being conducted into how fake news spreads and what strategies we can use to combat it. Our colleague at VUB, Pablo Trigo Kramcsák, is working on this in a Horizon project. And, together with various European partners, we have developed a website and an app for young people and their teachers as part of an Erasmus Plus project: InfoReady. It encourages them to think critically about the information they receive and how it can be manipulated."

What can journalists learn from scientists?
"Scientists seek facts, just like good journalists. They want to uncover the truth. Fortunately, scientists also have a culture in which they can generally engage in debate with each other. Not to polarise, but because conflicting opinions are part of the search for truth."

You recently wrote an opinion piece that went viral in which you argued against a well-known economist about the pension scheme for NMBS employees.
"He gave the impression that railway workers can retire at 55. That is not correct. Only train drivers and conductors are allowed to retire at 55, provided they have 30 years of uninterrupted service in this position. That is almost unheard of. In 2023, there were seven such people. Railway workers who retire are almost exclusively over the age of 60, just like the majority of Belgians. The age of 55 is therefore not at the heart of the current wave of strikes." 

You also had something to say about the generous NMBS pensions.
"In addition to their regular social security contributions, NMBS employees pay a hefty extra amount each month. This means they can count on a higher pension at the end of their career. It is their pension savings system. The government now wants to reduce their pension rights. NMBS employees will then lose that extra savings pot. Incidentally, the NMBS transferred its pension fund to the government to feed Verhofstadt II's budget, with just under 300 million euros on top. The condition was that their pension rights would not be touched. I think it's terrible that this story is being distorted and that people are being portrayed as profiteers because they are striking for their rights."

Should journalists even fact-check experts then?
"If they don't know what they're talking about, then definitely. It's too easy to always automatically call in the same “heavyweight” to shed light on a particular topic. As a journalist, you have to give different voices a chance to be heard, preferably in the same article or news item, and check whether the statements made by those experts are consistent with current knowledge. This is where the work of scientists and journalists overlaps. When scientists are presented with a study, they also check whether there are other views and what the current consensus is. Of course, that takes time and effort."