Trolls, Disinformation Make Philippine Election Coverage a Challenge

KOMPAS.com - Journalists covering May’s presidential election in the Philippines say false news and online attacks are making reporting a challenge.

As candidates, including front-runner Ferdinand Marcos Jr., vie to take the helm from Rodrigo Duterte, disinformation is ramping up.

The Philippines is seen as a testing ground for disinformation campaigns and is often referred to as “Patient Zero” by analysts tracking the spread of false news.

Journalists covering the election and politics further describe a hostile environment fostered toward media by Duterte and his supporters, and online trolling and attacks.

The country’s Presidential Communications Operations Office did not immediately respond to VOA’s request for comment.

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For Jervis Manahan, a news reporter at the ABS-CBN media network, “the biggest challenge is disinformation.”

“Fake news has become so believable that the public thinks it's true. It has become so pervasive in society,” he told VOA via email.

Manahan has been covering the campaign of Vice President Leni Robredo, which has been plagued by online disinformation since she announced her candidacy.

A study on election-related disinformation by local fact check site Vera Files says Robredo is the main target, including through statements falsely attributed to her.

Robredo’s quotes have been distorted to “make her look like she is spouting nonsense,” journalism associate professor Yvonne Chua said during an online lecture on March 16 organized by the University of the Philippines.

In excerpts of her talk published on the news website Rappler, Chau said part of the problem is “the lack of inquisitiveness of Filipinos — just accepting the flow of information.”

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Around half the respondents to a December survey found it hard to recognize disinformation online, Rappler reported.

Flagging disinformation has become a regular task for Manahan’s outlet.
“We have to push back every day. There’s no better antidote to disinformation than truth. We have to battle lies with truth. So, we keep on doing what we're doing. We follow Leni Robredo and tell factual stories and report,” Manahan said.