Ms. Patriluz “Patty” C. Manongsong underscored how school youth can combat false information online in a webinar sponsored by the SISC English Club (SEC) last April 18 and 21, 2022 for JHS and SHS respectively.
Invited as the guest speaker for the webinar titled “Truth Isn’t Cancelled: Battling Misinformation and Disinformation Online,” the Miriam College High School English teacher explained to Monarchs the intricacies and sources of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation in social media to foster more discerning digital citizens.
An alumna of the Philippine Normal University Manila and a member of its Debate Society, Ms. Patty graduated magna cum laude Bachelor in Secondary Education with a Major in English. She is currently at the University of the Philippines Diliman for her Master of Arts in English Studies, and has spoken about false information in other school forums. She also adjudicated the SGEN Debate Cup hosted by SISC’s Debate Club last February 12.
The webinar aimed to help students grow their media literacy amid the growing prevalence of the misnomered phenomenon of "fake news" in the digital world, with examples from The Philippines' 2022 national elections used throughout the discussion. It also taught Monarchs how they can prevent false information from becoming viral.
Another milestone for the club, the webinar was the very first SEC-organized online forum following a streak of schoolwide events that included the SDGs Awareness Month held last November and English Fortnight 2022 earlier this February. SEC had plans for hosting seminars about misinformation and disinformation set for April after the success of the latter, Club Moderator Sir Alvin Rey Caña told The Mover.
The webinar began with a Kahoot icebreaker hosted by SEC members to test the students’ knowledge and ability to distinguish between real and made-up news information. Ms. Patty then took the virtual podium and started her talk by discussing the importance of recognizing false information due to the easy accessibility to data virtually. She also began by asking the audience, “How do we manage these pieces of information that we find so conveniently online . . . and how do these pieces of information also affect how we view society and [how] we make decisions and opinions about what's happening in society?”
Ms. Patty then presented the interactive browser game Bad News where students acted in the shoes of a tycoon who crafts and spreads phony news stories. After playing and gaining insights from the audience, she explained that it is important to acknowledge and understand what happens when false information is spread. “We can’t fight what we don’t know,” she said.
“I’d like to believe that truth isn’t cancelled. Though many institutions and people would like us to believe that truth is subjective, it isn’t . . . truth is truth for a reason,” Ms. Patty added.
The guest speaker clarified the definition of news as verifiable information in public interest, and she explained that the mainstream term “fake news” is inappropriate because it contradicts the very meaning of news.
She introduced three proper terms students can use instead: misinformation, false information that is spread without knowledge of its veracity; disinformation, deliberately misleading content created to deceive; and malinformation, actual facts used to inflict harm on others. Ms. Patty explained, “Fake news is not really enough as a term to encapsulate all of these three categories.”
Ms. Patty gave seven possible sources of these three kinds of false information, such as satire and parody, misleading content, and false context. She presented ways Monarchs can avoid misinformation that included fact-checking posts, following legitimate sources of news, using online verification tools, and warning family and friends. The guest speaker emphasized that students should do their own research first before sharing to avoid wrongly informing people.
The webinar wrapped up with a question and answer session from the audience. Answering the inquiry of why people have a liking for spreading false information, Ms. Patty remarked that while there are trolls paid to spread misleading content on social media, there are others who are simply disinformed by the posts they see.
When asked how students can convince their older relatives not to believe in false information, she emphasized how one shouldn’t make an emotionally-charged response and should explain to their relatives in a rational manner, or else they would further close themselves from believing correct information. Ms. Patty told the audience, “Don’t be emotional, don’t attack them, find a common ground.”
As the webinar concluded, SEC anticipated that Monarchs can actively use their newly-learned knowledge in curbing the spread of false information in today’s social media-centric world. Club Public Relations Officer Chrizel Gabriel emphasized in her closing remarks, “After attending this webinar, we hope that you can all apply everything you’ve learned, and join us as we spot and stop fake news.”
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