Fighting fake news thru public vigilance, better journalism

Better journalism among media practitioners and a conscious effort by the public to check the authenticity of information are two ways by which fake news can be fought.

These are key points raised by philstar.com editor-in-chief Camille Diola, mindanation.com editorial director Jon Joaquin, and law professor Ethelbert Ouano during yesterday’s forum organized by The FREEMAN and Banat News for the Cebu press freedom week.

The forum – sponsored by Primary Homes Incorporated, Pizza Republic, and Montebello Villa Hotel – focused on the topic, Journalism and Blogging in the Age of Fake News.

Diola acknowledged that an increasing distrust in mainstream media has contributed to people sharing information from other sources that may not necessarily be credible and one of the ways to counter the same is for journalists themselves to reinstill among themselves the value of honest to goodness journalism.

"We should do better journalism. We have to make people see that we are really serious in gathering information and verifying them before we make it available to the public," she said.

She urged forum attendees composed mostly of communication and journalism students to help the press by going the extra mile by fact-checking and sharing stories only from reliable news sources.

Still, even with the virulent atmosphere online these days, Diola pointed out the importance of still listening to the public's sentiment - no matter how negative - and even to trolls.

She said that for response to be effective, it is important to also understand why people are manufacturing and spreading fake information and where they are coming from. This is important, she said, because fake news may not be necessarily false. There are fake news stories that still use correct information only that the information is being twisted or manipulated to push for someone's agenda.

“There is a pattern in distributing fake news. It is distributed strategically so if you see fake news or you see this post shared by a friend of yours, check her affiliation or check her political leanings. Sometimes, fake news is spread by these people with political affiliations,” Diola said.

Joaquin, an experienced journalist, also pointed out that incorrect information can also come even from sources that are perceived to be credible.

"Fake news is not just carried by trolls but it can also come from these legit o maayos na mga news agencies by coming up with unfair labels," he said.

For the longest time, he said, the media has portrayed Mindanao as a place of chaos, war, and terrorism with stories that are not put into proper context.

“Sinasabi sa media na ang Mindanao is a place for war but not all of it is true. If you'll only see how beautiful the place is,” he said.

Inside and outside the media industry, moves are being undertaken to curb the proliferation of fake news such as the bill pushed by Senator Joel Villanueva, which penalizes “any person or entity who maliciously offer, publish, distribute, circulate, and spread false news or information in print, broadcast or online media.”

Under Senate Bill No. 1492 or An Act Penalizing the Malicious Distribution of False News and Other Related Violations, false news or information are those which either intend to cause panic, division, chaos, violence, and hate, or those which exhibit a propaganda to blacken or discredit one's reputation.

But Ouano pointed out that the bill is flawed because it does not say who will have the authority to identify which information is fake - or not.

He also pointed out the hefty punishment the proposal is calling for.

Under Villanueva's proposal, “Any person who will be proven guilty of malicious creation and distribution of false news will face a fine ranging from P100,000 to P5,000,000 and imprisonment ranging from 1 to 5 years.”

If the offender is a public official, Villanueva said he or she will be made to pay twice the amount of fine, twice the period of imprisonment, and absolute disqualification from holding public office.

Those who aid and encourage malicious creation and distribution of fake news can be fined at least P50,000 and up to P3,000,000 and imprisonment ranging from six months to three years. A public official guilty of the act will be penalized twice the amount of fine, will have to serve twice the period of imprisonment; and will be disqualified from holding public office.

Media organizations that fail or refuse to remove false information can be fined up to P20,000,000 with imprisonment of up to 20 years.