Marcos wants to be more open to media

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday vowed to be more open and accessible to the media, as he called on journalists to evolve to counter the proliferation of fake news.

Speaking to reporters covering the Malacañang beat, Marcos emphasized that credibility is necessary to combat disinformation, and this can be achieved through openness and honesty.

“These are the issues that are important. And there’s a difference in the decisions that will be made... A little more closer, a little more openness, I think, is called for. My response to fake news, disinformation, lying, is not to shut down the sources of information. It’s to open the sources of information,” he said.

“Now, it’s up to us, it’s up to the consumer of that news to try and figure out what’s right and what’s wrong. The only way that we can guide them, to demonstrate what is wrong and what’s right, is to gain credibility,” he added.

Purveyors of “fake news” want to close the sources of information and should not be allowed to control the narrative, according to the President.

“Let the sunshine in, let the fresh air in... Our part in the government is to open it up. More ventilation. More sunshine. More fresh air. That, I think, is the best approach,” he said.

“So let’s do that. Let’s evolve. We cannot just stand by and let all of these bad apples take over the discussion, take over the narrative. We will be part of that narrative. We will be a very strong voice of that narrative. Let us be different for once. Let us be the ones that tell the truth,” he added.

He highlighted the important role of media practitioners, saying they direct attention to things that the government may have overlooked.

In another event, Marcos also called on government communicators to defend the truth and to embrace technology as they relay vital information to the public.

“Fake news, disinformation and misinformation are active forces that proliferate division and ignorance. They thrive in the shadows of social media, spreading lies faster than facts, turning public discourse into a battleground of confusion, manipulation and eventually, chaos,” Marcos said at the first-ever “Parangal: Gawad ng Kahusayan sa Komunikasyong Pampubliko.”

“In the face of this, silence is also complicity,” he said.