By: Luis Imperial
As disinformation spreads throughout the digital world, Heraldo Filipino (HF) office supervisor Elaine Aznar reminded students to be mindful of the background of those who spread “fake news”.
“One’s personal algorithm, echo chambers, and the educational system” were the factors for the proliferation of misinformation, according to Aznar.
Social media algorithms, personalized to aggregate more of users’ favored sources, created an “echo chamber” effect, worsened by the underfunding and lack of long-term planning of the education system that inhibited teaching critical literacy skills.
People Management Society (PMSoc) held last Friday, April 28, an event titled “Outcry for Truth 2023″ via Microsoft Teams to combat fake news and advise students on proper ways of fact-checking.
Along with Aznar, the event also featured Lean Pantorilla, HF’s associate editor, as they discussed how people could question disinformation on social media.
The speakers told students to “hold the line” or advocate for spreading the truth and encourage others to verify the information they encounter.
Moreover, Pantorilla told student journalists to see through the lens of a student, as the relevance of a piece of news is determined by how it affects them.
“For student journalists, sharing wrong information could upend their credibility,” she added.
Past research has noted that false information shared on social media is generally designed to capture readers’ attention through clickbait and emotional manipulation.
“Outcry for Truth 2023” was originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 26, before being moved to another date due to technical difficulties.
