Fake news

We are now really in a state of confusion and uncertainty. We are no longer sure whether the reports coming out of the media especially about the day to day happenings in our country are true or not; whether they are mere jokes and should not be taken seriously. It is indeed so difficult to determine nowadays what to believe and what not to believe. And obviously this is due to the unwarranted proliferation of “fictitious reports on current events which are deliberately fabricated to mislead others,” otherwise known as “fake news.”

At present, we are bombarded almost daily with such kind of news. In fact this is the first time that “fake news” has been coined and invariably used especially in social media, which sprouted and grew when Information Technology (IT) or communication through cyberspace was introduced here.

One of the main causes of fake news in social media is the indiscriminate use and publication of mere opinions or analyses made by supposed experts or analysts. They are already considered as factual and true even if they are mere expressions of opinions. Very noticeable in this regard are the supposed points of view expressed by alleged experts on some controversial subjects, which are being already aired or published as matters of fact despite lack of any proof or substantial evidence showing that they are indeed true.

Among the glaring examples in this connection are the supposed “outstanding and admirable achievements” of Duterte which are obviously publicized to enhance his public image and to attract more admirers and supporters. Even mere plans or projects are already being announced and described as outstanding achievements that picture him as the best president we ever have. And to further show his admirable qualities, the sins and failures of past presidents and the many anomalies they have supposedly committed are magnified and circulated as established facts even if no charges have been filed yet, no evidence presented in a full blown trial, and no decisions finding and declaring them to be really true have been rendered yet.

The worst part of these fakeries and deceptions are the violent denunciations of those who are opposing or questioning Duterte’s actions, criticizing his moves and exposing some irregularities and corruptions he has allegedly committed. Instead of meeting head on and pointing out that the charges and exposes against Duterte are really false and unfounded, his backers in social media hurl invectives and speak or write serious accusations against the character and trait of these critics. They malign these oppositionists, more particularly Senators Trillanes and De Lima as well as Congressman Alejano, who are reviled and denounced as corrupt and evil obviously in an attempt to show the falsities of the charges and irregularities supposedly committed by Duterte. Instead of sticking to the issues, they cast aspersions on the persons believing that this tactic is enough to disprove the charges hurled against Duterte. And in doing so, they again resort to airing fake news in the internet.

Another glaring fakery now circulating in the internet is about the on-going electoral protest filed by defeated Vice Presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos against the clear winner Leni Robredo. Very noticeable is the picture of Marcos posted in Facebook depicting him as the victorious candidate waving his hands with the “V” sign accompanied by a report about the discovery of wet ballots and supposedly missing audit logs of a municipality in Camarines Sur. The fake news clearly conveyed here is that Marcos has been cheated and that he really won in the last election even as the recount has just started. His supporters are already trying to interpret such discovery as proof that Robredo and/or her supporters tampered the ballots in her home province to fraudulently win the elections by a margin of more than 290,000 votes.

It must be recalled in this connection however that in the last election, Marcos was one of the candidates who apparently tried to win the Vice Presidency at all cost. Compared to Robredo’s disinterested style of campaigning and strict observance of the election rules especially on election expenses, Marcos was noticeably spending lots of money trying to get votes. People cannot really avoid concluding that Marcos could not accept his loss because he was the Vice Presidential candidate who spent a lot. Indeed he is the only candidate for vice president who filed a protest. The other candidates are apparently convinced that Leni Robredo honestly won the election. So they did not protest anymore. Only Marcos protested because he cannot believe that Robredo can defeat him with her clean and honest style of campaigning. Obviously people think that Marcos has inherited from his father the traditional politics of the past. Unfortunately his followers already want to show that he won by spreading fake news in the internet.

Fake news is really causing so much damage to our society. A lot of people appear to be spreading fake news believing that it is the current and accepted fad. Indeed even our TV Show, “Ipaglaban Mo” has not been spared. An announcement has been recently posted in the internet about the taping of an alleged Ipaglaban Mo episode involving a teenage student and volleyball player who has been raped by her coach. This is fake news because no such case has been decided by the Supreme Court yet.  It must be stressed and pointed out that Ipaglaban Mo is a drama anthology showing true to life cases already decided by the Supreme Court. These are public cases that are part of public record and are not privately owned. Indeed, the show is a form of public service explaining Supreme Court decisions in drama anthology easily understood by the common people. The SC decisions depicted here are part of the law of the land, so the program is really intended to impart basic knowledge of the law and important lessons in life. This is not a program about private and personal stories of individuals.

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