Fake, fake, fake

Apparently, word has been spread that Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has resigned and none other than the President himself quashed such news as reporters hovered around him to ask if there was any truth to the matter. In a statement, Presidential Communications Secretary Cesar Chavez said that President Bongbong Marcos has full trust and confidence in the defense chief and that rumors to the contrary have been proven false, stating that these were pathetic attempts to sow division in an organization that stands united in protecting the people and defending our territory.

Indeed, and as Secretary Chavez has said, there is no place for corrosive politics in the ranks of our fighting men. Fake news or disinformation is not uncommon among us in this day and age where it is actually very pervasive as, simply put, fake news is information disorder making the truth hard to find while also making it a danger to our own personal security. Unfortunately, there are still many people that do not realize the harmful effects of fake news as they continue to enjoy the sensationalism and popularity of being a source of “chismis” or gossip, alleging their stories to be true.

The cognitive domain as we have often discussed through my articles is really a lot to process more so a lot to “fix.” As having been able to once have a brief stint on helping publicly educate on issues that involved disinformation, the most difficult part of this educative process is having to advise people about publications or broadcasts that have been so widely spread as truth, with the mission to create a certain belief or support a certain position, regardless of whether it was truth or fiction.

As a communications professional whose roots are deeply embedded in education, fake news can be very damaging and harmful. The purpose of fake news is to change entirely people’s beliefs and perceptions so that they will ultimately change their behavior, not to mention the cyber security concerns brought about by misinformation and disinformation. Based on experience, I think that the most frustrating part of fake news is acknowledging how difficult it is for just one individual to do something about it as well as realizing that the best one can do is to learn to recognize fake news and educate ourselves about media literacy.

It is also critical to understand that correcting others must be an act of kindness in order to politely inform them about their posts or comments if they have unwittingly spread some false information. The best way forward is to practice utmost civility in our conversations. It is important to remember that false information can distort people’s beliefs, especially when it is repeated over and over. As educators, we all know that repetition is an effective strategy because many things are remembered better and retained for a longer period of time.

False information is a blinding propaganda technique with the goal of controlling the thoughts and beliefs of a group for personal gain and when people treat this as real, they put themselves or others at risk that can affect many aspects of life such as health, just like COVID-19, finances due to scams and even relationships which, on a societal level, can encourage hate speech or violence against others. At the end of the day, therefore, we must always remember that chaos confuses and with the multiple channels and platforms available, large volumes of disinformation can be very destructive.

They say that the cognitive domain is the sixth front as this holds the conscious sphere of human activity, focusing on the act of thinking which emanates from the human mind and providing clarity. Disinformation is said to be an element of cognitive warfare and in the area of defense, disinformation is described to be a discreet weapon in the cognitive domain, hence it is important for national security professionals to develop a framework that will properly identify disinformation.

The rapid spread of fake news and disinformation online can bring about profound consequences, creating a distrust in media and undermining the democratic process. It’s a good thing the President spoke out on the issue, since the subject of this included the defense secretary whose responsibility is also to ensure information security that affects the entire nation. Having said this, the effects of fake news is a genuine threat to democracy as well as good governance and we need civil society, together with tech companies and fact checkers, to join forces and become more active in the fight against disinformation.