The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) are engaging the youth in combating the spread of fake news through the “Youth for Truth” movement.
“We envision it as a bastion against disinformation by establishing a core group of youth advocates who will actively search and refute disinformation,” said Benjie Felipe, PIA Senior Director for Strategic Communication, during Sunday’s briefing before some 961 participants of the International Youth Assembly 2018 at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas auditorium.
Felipe said they intend to do this by “developing young minds ingrained with the values of truth, responsibility and integrity”.
“To fight fake news forever, our battle cry is “Dismiss disinformation!,” he said.
To fight the spread of fake information, there is a need to “attack and cripple” at least one of the three pillars–remarkable story, wide distribution and amplification– that make spreading of disinformation effective.
“For the PCOO we have to debunk the story first and foremost,” he said.
In his presentation, he guided the participants on how to identify fake news by examining the five C’s: content, communicator’s identity, creator’s intent and consequence.
In trying to validate the story, it is necessary to know where the story comes from, examine if the story is well-written and presented, look into the credibility of the photos, and check the “About Us” section.
Meanwhile, selected youth leaders, during a luncheon hosted by the city government of Iloilo, were briefed on how to dismiss disinformation by Director III Princess “Pebbles” Duque.
“Sometimes when you share something, you think that you are helping but you are not. You’re actually being used as an avenue to share that fake information,” she said. (Perla Lena/PNA)
