Fake news

You can be anyone and anything in this day and age a villain-turned-folk hero, a convict-turned-lawmaker, a graduate from an Ivy League school without even trying. You can win the hearts of millions for as long as the legend of 640,000 tons of gold is whispered from ear to ear. You can stop being a crony, just put out a troll army and change your story. You can be the best fighter in the battlefield with all the badges and awards, just put out a book about tears and victory.

You can say, curse and attack other people publicly even if in real life, you were sleeping the whole time. You can commit a crime and be jailed for it, even if you’re a thousand miles away from the crime scene. You can win any election in the land of the free, catapulted into power by Russia’s troll army. You can rewrite history and start denying you were once a British colony.

Some protesters are no different, putting out slogans that aren’t true and squeezing statistics to advance their truth.

There are companies trumpeting ESGs and sustainability efforts, too, greenwashing their way into a world that is demanding a better way of doing business.

Modern day terrorists

Indeed, we are living in utterly disturbing times.

There’s just so much misinformation and disinformation we are  seeing today, stealing or altering a nation’s memory, reinventing villains to become heroes and discrediting truth seekers including researchers and journalists.

Purveyors of fake news, misinformation and disinformation may well be called  modern day terrorists because they are no different from terrorists as we know them. They resort to unlawful activities or use the threat of violence to advance their agenda -- from cyber bullying to defamation etc, etc. I could go on and on.

The negative effect of all this massive spread of fake news, misinformation and disinformation will be felt not just now but in the decades to come.

If we don’t wage a major war against the spread of all these lies and untruths, we shall see generations after generations of citizens no longer aware of our nation’s history and identity; no longer able to tell the right from wrong. Morals and ethics will go down the drain and respect for opposing views will be gone.

A deep understanding of issues will be replaced by stupidity and ignorance and we may see a citizenry that is unable to reach its full potential.

Indeed, it’s dangerous and disturbing. What is democracy without the truth?

The role of journalists

Journalists play a role in fighting fake news. Now more than ever, it is important to be more responsible in reporting news and in presenting visual images. Media bosses and practitioners must ensure that the citizens consume facts and not propaganda.

Pro Patria

This was one of the major points discussed during last week’s 2022 Pro Patria Journalism Awards presented by the 103-year-old Rotary Club of Manila led by RCM president Felix “Chito” Zaldariaga.

“The awards were given to journalists who have an impact on society. Almost to a man, the committee rejected bloggers since the structure of discipline and peer review has not been instituted or formalized in their case,” said Dean Amado Valdez, chairman of this year’s RCM Journalism Awards Committee.

I am grateful, and happy to share I was among the awardees, along with The STAR’s Alex Magno (Geopolitics) and Joaquin Henson (Sports); GMA-7’s Sandra Aguinaldo (TV Investigative Reporting); TV 5’s Jose Roberto Alampay (Documentary); DZRH’s Deo Macalma (Broadcasting) and CNN’s Clarissa Ward (International Journalism).

Veteran journalist lawyer Emiliano Jurado completed the roster of this year’s awardees. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

In our respective acceptance speeches, some of us highlighted the difficulties we are facing now because of fake news.

Sandra said: “At GMA, while we are present on all media platforms and working hard to provide accurate information, it is unfortunate that fake news is still being spread.”

“As journalists, we are not perfect but we do our best to present accurate and fair news reports at all times. This is our way of standing our ground hoping that the public would be able to tell that with mainstream media, they get the accurate information and they see accountability in cases of shortcomings,” she added.

In my message, I said it hasn’t been easy the past years especially with so many factors trying to discredit journalists and journalism today. I said this shouldn’t be the case because journalists are not the enemy. Veteran journalist Tony Lopez, who introduced Mr. Jurado, expounded on this point, saying that journalists are perceived enemies only by wrongdoers.

Journalism, as I always say, is a reward in itself. “It’s a calling,” as the 95-year-old Mr. Jurado said. But to be recognized in these exhausting times is a bonus.

Thank you Rotary Club of Manila for the recognition. It’s an honor to be in this profession and to stand with fellow journalists on that stage last week. A great day for journalism, indeed.

Iris Gonzales’ email address is e[email protected].

Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at eyesgonzales.com