Document details

Countering Disinformation Tools and Initiatives in the Philippines

Copenhagen: International Media Support (IMS) (2023), 37 pp.

Contains 7 figures

CC BY

"As can be gleaned from this report, anti-disinformation initiatives are diverse and creative, but whether they’re for prevention, monitoring and identification, or contextualization and correction, the current initiatives can be scaled up and new ones added. Firstly, the initiatives have still to reach a large segment of Philippine society, especially those living far from the capital, as well as certain sectors like senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and offline communities that depend greatly on others for information, including word of mouth. Secondly, another area that could be enhanced is research, which still takes long gestation periods when the need for findings and recommendations is immediate. Where possible, studies need to be fast-tracked. Instead of waiting for an event to end, e.g., elections, academic researchers should collaborate with anti-disinformation initiatives from the get-go. Institutions and individuals fighting against disinformation should also be encouraged to produce rigorous research, as well as provide deep dives or snapshots of disinformation landscape as it evolves. Furthermore, although AI tools have been employed by fact-checking initiatives such as Tsek.ph and FactsFirstPH, the study also shows that there is room for development in employing AI Journalism in the fight against disinformation. The ThaiDI Machine is the only purely AI tool on the list and is still in the development stage." (Conclusion)
1 Introduction, 5
2 Framework of the study, 6
3 Taxonomy of disinformation, 7
4 Case study: Countering disinformation initiatives in the Philippines, 9
5 Notable initiatives across the ASEAN, 26
Indonesia -- Thailand -- Malaysia -- Singapore -- Civicus Disinformation Counter
6 Insights into the mapping of the anti-disinformation landscape in the Philippines, 28
7 Conclusion, 33