Philippine Government Launches Nationwide Campaign to Combat Fake News

In a world where fake news and disinformation spread like wildfire, the Philippine government is taking a proactive approach by launching a nationwide digital media literacy campaign. This campaign aims to equip the most vulnerable communities in the country with the knowledge and tools to be discerning of the truth.

The PCO Undersecretary Cherbett Karen Maralit emphasized the need to guide the public towards identifying false, incomplete, or inaccurate information. The first step towards this goal is identifying reliable and credible sources of information.

To achieve this, the PCO will collaborate with the private sector, including stakeholders of the broadcast industry, to establish effective mechanisms against fake news. The campaign will also focus on refining target communities where media literacy is most needed, determining the social media platforms through which these communities are most susceptible to fake news, and identifying the contents and topics on which these misinformation and disinformation focus.

The campaign also seeks to identify the profiles of fake news peddlers, understand the influences that open these communities to deceptions, and understand the practices and habits of the target communities that create opportunities for exposure to disinformation and misinformation.

This initiative highlights the government's commitment to upholding the rights and welfare of women and girls through a digital media literacy campaign that will equip communities with knowledge and skills that will enable them to be discerning of the truth as they engage in various social media channels and platforms.

The thorough study to be conducted throughout the Philippines this month will provide the necessary data to refine the target communities and topics that require media literacy. By the middle of this year, the nationwide media literacy campaign will be implemented, taking a context-based and factual grassroots approach.