The flood of information on social media makes it increasingly difficult for the public to discern facts from falsehoods—particularly during national emergencies, elections, and pandemics—as social media algorithms amplify emotionally charged or sensational narratives, regardless of accuracy, further fueling an “infodemic.” The term is derived from “information” and “epidemic.” It refers to the rapid and far-reaching spread of both accurate and inaccurate information, particularly during a crisis such as a public health emergency. Zarocostas (2020) defines an infodemic as “an overabundance of information (some accurate and some not) that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.”
An infodemic can complicate crisis response efforts by causing confusion, mistrust, and harmful behaviors. For this reason, it is critical to educate the public about media and information literacy, fact-checking, and digital hygiene in today’s hyperconnected digital world.
Hence, the staging of the Media and Information Literacy Seminar under the Scholastic Outreach Program of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) and Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Philippines in cooperation with STI West Negros University was very timely as it gathered campus journalists, student leaders and college students and educators from higher education institutions (HEIs) to learn essential skills in fact-checking, digital hygiene, responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) and spotting doctored or altered photos, among others from expert resources speakers, journalists, media trainers and educators.
Participants underwent fact-checking drills during the session with Joyce Pañares, PPI Training Director. Students and teachers were given content to fact-check and were asked to judge whether the story was factual or false information. She also explained how AI works and how it can be helpful to journalists without sacrificing their ethical responsibility.
“AI can analyze things based on the data that’s given to it. It’s different when you use AI to develop a story. It is still the human person who is responsible for it. Usually, it helps you to generate or analyze big data. Kung hindi mo naman ininput si big data, wala pa rin eh. Ikaw pa rin yon. So, you take credit. In the end, it’s the human who takes full responsibility. Kunyari, nagkamali si AI, di mo pwedeng sabihin, ‘Eh kasi si AI eh.’ You do not take AI’s output as it is. You check for accuracy. The ethical responsibility remains with the human. It must only be used as a tool,” said Pañares.
She further introduced the participants to different fact-checking sites that help verify the authenticity of information before it is shared or accepted as truth. This helps prevent misinformation and disinformation.
Ariel Sebellino, PPI National Executive Director, challenged students, campus journalists and teachers to be warriors and champions of truth.
“You know what happened during the elections, and hopefully, we combat disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation in the days and years to come. Kasi, ang hamon sa ating lahat is to be speaking of truth whatever it takes, kasi ‘yon ang trabaho natin as a global citizen — not just as a responsible Filipino. Nandoon katuwang ang academic institutions to do just that with initiatives not just from PPI but other media organizations across the archipelago,” said Sebellino.
Tess Bacalla, editor-in-chief of Asia Democracy Chronicles, touched on how voters should discern election narratives more effectively by applying critical thinking, media literacy and ethical awareness. She also warned young voters against emotional manipulation, loaded language, exaggerations or one-sided arguments, portraying candidates as perfect or total villains.
“Matuto tayo na mag discern. Hindi tayo dapat matakot na magpahayag ng ating pag iisip, saloobin dahil iyon ay karapatan ninyo,” stressed Bacalla.
Meanwhile, Rowena Caranza Paraan, Training Director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, spoke about the importance of digital hygiene, or maintaining good habits when using digital devices, platforms and services to protect personal information and ensure cybersecurity.
Paraan emphasized how critical it is for netizens to adopt best practices and proactive behaviors to maintain the security, privacy and efficiency of digital tools and interactions. Best practices include strong and unique passwords, regular software updates, critical evaluation of online content, avoiding suspicious links or downloads, and managing digital footprints.
Other resource speakers were Dr. Rachel Khan of the College of Media and Communication of the University of the Philippines – Diliman, Jes Aznar of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) and The New York Times, and Jen Aquino, Managing Director of Probe.
Caroline Lee, HSF Philippines Program Coordinator, thanked Dr. Ryan Mark Molina, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of STIWNU, for partnering with them to hold the last leg of the MIL seminars in Bacolod City this year.
“Campus journalists are crucial as frontline defenders against disinformation. Students, especially campus journalists, are very crucial because they help shape a generation that values truth and facts,” said Lee.
For his part, Molina committed to PPI and HSF Philippines to support the cause and the fight against disinformation through media and information literacy.
“We really have to advocate the real essence of communication. I hope we will be able to come up with an agreement that this will not be a one-time collaboration with STIWNU – that it is going to be a lasting partnership with you,” said Molina.
Like a good virus, media and information literacy can spread rapidly—infecting minds not with confusion but with clarity, critical thinking, and a commitment to truth. Through sustained efforts and advocacies like this, we can build an informed, educated, and digitally literate community that becomes immune to the dangers of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation.
When truth becomes contagious and every citizen becomes a defender of facts, we create a ripple effect that empowers a generation to rise above deception and ensure that truth will always prevail.*
