"Report it, don't share it!"
This must be how a social media user should deal with false information online, Malacañang's communications arm said.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said reporting and not sharing false information may counter misinformation and disinformation.
"[W]hen you do realize that you have come across false information, report it, don’t share it. The spread of misinformation and disinformation ends with you," PCO Undersecretary Emerald Ridao said during the “Maging Mapanuri” Conference on Media and Information Literacy on Oct. 25.
"It is our collective responsibility to safeguard the truth in an age where falsehoods threaten to obscure it,” Ridao added.
Ridao further said that a practical guide to avoid misinformation and disinformation is to adopt the "STOP and SPOT" approach as the agency focuses on educating the public, rather than policing, to address the misinformation crisis.
“Stop to Spot the Source. Ask yourself, who is sharing this information? Are these posts and articles from random people on the internet, or are they from certified experts on the subject matter? Remember that the source matters. Credible, verified sources are more likely to provide accurate information,” Ridao said.
“Stop to Spot the Purpose. Why is this information appearing on your feed? Is it trending because it's sensationalizing certain angles, or is it genuinely sharing factual information? Understanding the purpose behind the content can help you separate fact from fiction,” Ridao added.
The Palace official also told the conference participants to trace the ownership of the information and content, whether they are shared by credible organizations or individuals genuinely committed to truth, or they are pretending to be something they are not.
People should also Stop to Spot the Time by scrutinizing the timeline of the information release, whether it is new, old, or possibly outdated and irrelevant information disguised as news, she further said.
According to Ridao, policing the internet and stamping out every falsehood would be a never-ending battle which is why the PCO relies on education to address the challenge.
The PCO launched its Media and Information Literacy (MIL) campaign last Aug. 14 with the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as its key partners in the public sector.
The initiative primarily targets equipping teachers in state universities and colleges (SUCs) and public schools to teach students how to combat fake news, misinformation and disinformation.