When disinformation is widely shared at a dizzying realtime speed by paid cyber mercenaries, can fact-checking stand a chance? There are short-term and long-term interventions that may require the enforcement of technical and regulatory mechanisms. For our part, we must not lose sight of the political solution because the roots of the information disorder are also linked to deeper structural infirmities in society.
Historian Francis Gealogo hopes that his TikTok videos will not only remind people of bits and pieces of facts in Philippine history but also its continuing relevance.
Para labanan ang pagkalat ng kasinungalingan, kailangang isulong ang sistematikong paglalahad ng katotohanan. Dito pumapasok ang tinatawag na fact-checking. Ipinapaliwanag sa simpleng salita kung bakit kasinungalingan ang kasinungalingan at kung bakit katotohanan ang katotohanan.
Activism is our fact-checking initiative against so-called “fake news.” We cannot engage in politics without a proper social investigation. Mao Zedong has a succinct quote for it: “No investigation, no right to speak”. Our statements must be grounded on the reality that affects the masses. We articulate the social condition based on verifiable facts.