BE BETTER at asking questions instead of making quick judgments on the truth of a news.
This was the message of media practitioners to students during a forum about media credibility and fake news held Feb. 2 and 3.
CNN Philippines anchor Pinky Webb stressed the importance of research and critical thinking in detecting fake news.
“Fake news offers a comforting view of the world. It also gains traction because it appeals to our emotions and tells us exactly what we want to hear. Fake news is not new; it’s here to stay,” she said.
Webb said journalists should focus on checking facts rather than on being first in breaking news.
“Let’s be critical. We can even be a little bit cynical about what we read,” she added.
Rudolph Steve Jularbal, DZRH station manager, reminded the students that journalists can preserve their credibility if they remain truthful and accurate in reporting.
“In any practice of journalism, ethics dictate that you only convey what is true and accurate. […] Yan ‘yung guidepost niyo in determining proper and ethical journalistic practice. It’s just these two things, […] and there’s no way you can go wrong,” Jularbal said.
“Credibility is the currency of the good journalist, whether in new media or in traditional media, so always maintain credibility as a journalist,” he added.
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) dominated this year’s Podcon Student Awards, bagging four out of 12 awards. The competition required entries that tackle issues surrounding social media.
UST reigned in the Radio Drama Category, bringing home the first place with its entry titled Elevator. Hapag-Kainan and Hearts and Strings: Second Chances finished second and third place, respectively. Hapag-Kainan also grabbed the Fan Favorite award, a recognition given to entries with most likes on Facebook.
For the Radio Documentary category, Bulacan State University’s Pindot won first place and the Fan Favorite award. Adamson University’s Pieta Y Verita bagged second place while Miriam College’s Fake News: The Past, The Present, and its Consequences won third place.
De La Salle University Manila took the first place in Radio Disc Jock Category with its entry titled Animo Central: Social Media. Polytechnic University of the Philippines’ entry titled Beshy Chikahan bagged the second place while Bulacan State University’s Versus A won third place. Good Talk by Adamson University went home with the Fan Favorite award for the same category.
The event titled Podcon 6: Upholding Media Credibility Amid Fake News was organized by the Communication Arts Students Association in partnership with Kapisanan ng mga Broadcaster ng Pilipinas. F
