Countering Disinformation - Tools and Initiatives in the Philippines

"Different sectors have responded to the escalation of disinformation in the Philippines with a slew of initiatives to counter it."

This paper, commissioned by International Media Support (IMS), explores various practices and initiatives to fight disinformation that have emerged in the Philippines over the last five years. It focuses in particular on multi-sectoral and all-of-society approaches that take into account, among other things, technology, gendered disinformation, and agents and structures of disinformation. The paper was produced as input for discussions and sharing amongst IMS media partners and stakeholders working to counter disinformation in the South and Southeast Asia region at the second IMS Asia Regional Disinformation Learning Forum, May 16-17 2023.

As explained in the brief, "For over half a decade now, Filipinos have also topped the rest of the world in terms of time spent on the internet and social media on which much of the disinformation is peddled. The Philippines, like many other countries in the Southeast Asian region, does not have the regulatory oversight in place to address platforms or propagators of disinformation, nor does the majority of its social media users have the necessary cognitive resilience against disinformation. A 2023 study shows that 96 per cent of Filipinos are concerned about disinformation and blame traditional media, as well as the government, influencers and the likes. Trust in all media has been weakened. As a result, a slew of initiatives and tools have emerged to address disinformation."

The paper explains that multiple stakeholders have coalesced in the Philippines to push back against disinformation, requiring both old and new tools as disinformation continues to evolve requiring action on more platforms and in more languages and formats. In mapping these initiatives, the study adopted the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s four general classifications for responses to disinformation:

1. Prevention - These initiatives focus on countering disinformation by: helping audiences discern reliable sources of information; identifying and promoting trusted media sources; using technological tools; and/or offering training programmes for educators.
2. Identification and monitoring - These initiatives uncover disinformation articles and their sources in the various media/social media channels to alert the public to their existence and provide truthful information.
3. Contextualisation or correction - These initiatives go beyond identification and focus on inoculating the public against these disinformation messages, including directing audiences to the correct sources of information.
4. Regulation or non-regulation - In the context of private sector efforts, this category refers to self- and co-regulation responses in an attempt to stop or (at least) hinder disinformation.

The following initiatives are discussed and mapped according to the above categories:

• Multi-sector, multi-stakeholder collaborations and networks countering disinformation:
  • Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation (D&D) - a multi-sectoral anti-disinformation consortium in the Philippines
  • Tsek.ph - an academia-initiated project that coordinates fact-checking initiatives during elections
  • #FactsFirstPH - an election-related, multi-sectoral consortium
  • Movement Against Disinformation (MAD) - a coalition of legal luminaries fighting disinformation
• Institutionally implemented efforts to counter disinformation:
  • VERA Files - an independent media and fact-checking organisation reaching diaspora
  • University of the Philippines Journalism Department - produces media literacy modules for high schools
  • Ateneo School of Governance (ASOG) - a Web app disinformation diagnostics tool aimed at voters
  • Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS) - offers fact-checking for youth and outreach to marginalised groups
  • TikTok Philippines and EON Group - provides training of youth on TikTok to defend the truth
  • Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) - creates comic strips and art to raise awareness of disinformation
  • Akademiya at Bayan Kontra Disimpormasyon at Dayaan (ABKD) - a network of historians and educators
  • Fact Check Philippines - a coalition of volunteer student fact-checkers
  • Philippine Fact-Checker Incubator Program (PFCI) - mentors newsrooms in fact-checking
  • Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) with Pi Gamma Mu and Love Frankie - a church-based group and academics who team up for voter education
  • Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University (ACFJ) - engages the private sector in "Ads for news"
  • Pinas Forward - informs youths about elections
  • GMA Network - focuses on the pivot to pre-bunking
• Individual/small group initiatives:
  • Out of the Box (OOTB) - offers media literacy training for educators and students
  • PumaPodcast - produces podcasting about disinformation
  • Social media influencers fighting disinformation
  • Artists For Digital Rights Network (A4DRN) - creates awareness regarding disinformation through fine arts
  • Wiki Society of the Philippines (WikiSocPH) - Wikipedians fighting distortions of history
  • Community Engagement Plan/Fund - offers research and raises support for community interventions against disinformation
  • Deliberative forums - gatherings whose purpose is to diagnose the problem of disinformation

A few notable initiatives across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are also highlighted. In Indonesia, they include Cek Fakta, MAFINDO, and SiberKreasi. In Thailand, they include Thai Disinformation Detector (DI) and CoFact.org. In Malaysia, the report looks at the Malaysian Media Literacy Education (MILE aka MileMsia) initiatives, and, in Singapore, it discusses the Fake News Detective game.

The report discusses a number of insights emerging from the mapping of the anti-disinformation landscape. For example, the study shows that as disinformation takes a turn for the worse in Southeast Asia, the search for innovative solutions and whole-of-society approaches against disinformation has become more vigorous and diversified. The organisations involved in pushing back against disinformation include: media organisations, educational institutions, civil society organisations, the private sector, funders, and even individuals such as social influencers, Wikipedians, artists, lawyers, and youth. The establishment of coalitions or consortiums such as D&D, Tsek.ph, FactsFirstPH, and MAD have proved to be a good avenue to gather the diverse groups to help support and amplify their work and, more importantly, to forge a united front.

The findings also show that initiatives fall mainly into three categories: (i) preventive, (ii) identification and monitoring, and (iii) contextualisation and correction, with very few dealing with (iv) regulatory and non-regulatory measures. In addition, initiatives that are preventive in nature form the bulk of the anti-disinformation efforts, and fact-checking remains the frontline action in the Philippines and elsewhere in the region, especially in monitoring, identifying, and flagging false or misleading information.

The study also identifies a number of challenges. For example, one of the challenges in terms of regulation - whether state, co-regulation, or peer regulation - is how to patrol and dismantle troll farms that form part of organised or networked disinformation such as those operated by public relations and marketing firms. Another challenge is the sustainability of the efforts to address disinformation, especially in terms of manpower and financing. Measuring the actual impact on society in terms of, for example, behaviour change of these anti-disinformation initiatives is cited as another challenge.

Regarding the way forward, the report cites the need to scale up current initiatives and to add new ones. Considerations include:

• Reach of initiatives - The initiatives have still to reach a large segment of Philippine society, especially those living far from the capital, as well as certain sectors like senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and offline communities that depend greatly on others for information, including word of mouth.
• Research - Research should be fast-tracked to allow for immediate findings and recommendations. Instead of waiting for an event to end (e.g., elections), academic researchers should collaborate with anti-disinformation initiatives from the get-go. Institutions and individuals fighting against disinformation should also be encouraged to produce rigorous research, as well as provide deep dives or snapshots of the disinformation landscape as it evolves.
• Use of artificial intelligence (AI) - Although AI tools have been employed by fact-checking initiatives such as Tsek.ph and FactsFirstPH, the study shows that there is room for development in employing AI journalism in the fight against disinformation.