Marcos: Gov't to launch media literacy campaign vs fake news

President Bongbong Marcos said the government will launch a campaign that fights fake news in the Philippines.

Screencap of president BBM

PH suffering from disinformation, misinformation

According to CNN Philippines, Marcos said during the 14th edition of the International Conference of Information Commissioners on Monday that misinformation and disinformation are problems that are also prevalent in the country.

Like everyone here, we too recognize as a matter of principle that fake news should have no place in modern society, the president said.

To address these problems, Marcos said his administration will implement a media and information literacy campaign designed to be digital, multi-media, and youth-oriented.

Our people can be assured of the continued implementation of the FOI Program in the executive branch, through the Presidential Communications Office, he said.

At this juncture, I reiterate our call not only to the executive branch, but to all branches of government, to genuinely uphold and give effect to the people’s freedom of information in the course of our day-to-day operations, with good faith and with openness, he added.

A report by Reuters Institute showed that influencers are a popular news source compared to journalists among young people.

More Filipinos also turn to social media platforms, like TikTok, to get their news, it added.

For the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law, the president "needs a mirror to remind himself how he and his family have regurgitated the same lies over the years to deny the atrocities."

We agree with you, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.: fake news should have no place in modern society — but might we also add, so are its peddlers. Indeed, there should be no place in a modern and democratic society for people who spew lies, especially those who distort and falsify history to whitewash their crimes against the Filipino people, it said in a statement.

CARMMA also claimed that Marcos tapped "a massive campaign of online disinformation" on Twitter and Facebook.

During a Senate hearing prior to the 2022 May elections, University of the Philippines Journalism professor Yvonne Chua cited a Tsek.ph report that said Marcos benefitted from a "significant volume of false or misleading claims" for his presidential campaign. His rival, former Vice President Leni Robredo, on the other hand, was the "biggest victim" of disinformation, Chua added.

Despite claiming that he obtained a degree from Oxford University, the Oxford Philippines Society already said that Marcos did not finish his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics degree at the said university, citing the confirmation made by the university in 2015.

The group said Marcos received a special diploma in social studies in 1978, which is different from a degree.

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Via: CNN Philippines