“The Duterte administration utilizes ‘fake news’ as a tool to silence dissent by spreading lies using an army of trolls, to present ‘alternative facts’ and justify the repressive policies and programs of the government.”
While we acknowledge the need to fight disinformation in this time of crisis, we fear the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act will only end up criminalizing free speech. We assert that the best way to fight disinformation is through education and the truth.
Singapore passed early last May an anti-“fake news” law that will be implemented this month. The “Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation” Act gives government the power to compel online news sites and even chat groups to remove statements “against the public interest” and to correct them. Not only individuals will be affected but also…
By DEE AYROSO
His attacks on the press are “repulsive,” and “he should be the figure of suspicion, not the press,” when it comes to “fake news.” A president who “constantly deflects and distorts and distracts — who must find someone else to blame — is charting a very dangerous path.” Although he mentioned Rodrigo Duterte later in…
Tiglao is what he has been accusing people of: a liar and a propagandist.
Whether they’re in the opposition or administration side, the distinguished senators of this endangered Republic, who’re otherwise hopelessly fractious, share one thing: their hatred for “fake news” — and a consequent, irrepressible urge to penalize its disseminators. That’s what last week’s hearings on the subject led by the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass…
Launched in June this year, Fakeblok is part of the NUJP’s campaign against the spread of misinformation online.
BLOOD RUSH By SARAH RAYMUNDO It is not the case that “fake news” erodes democracy. Fake democracy yields “faith in fakes”(1) Yet in what was manufactured as a defense of truth, accountability and democracy, the Philippine Senate held a hearing on fake news. Notable propagandists of the Duterte regime were summoned and questioned on their…
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) have launched an online means of identifying and guarding against the spread of fake news. They’re using Fakeblok, the Google Chrome plug-in which flags fake news on Facebook. This enterprise is in addition to efforts by some…
By MARY ANGELIQUE TACATA