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MANILA, Philippines — In a bid to combat disinformation and “fake news” in the digital space, the government launched on Monday a Media and Information Literacy (MIL) campaign in partnership with different national agencies.
Under the campaign, MIL will be integrated into the higher education curriculum, community-based training, and family-oriented programs.
Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Chair Prospero De Vera III stressed that the spread of false information and fake news on social media must “have no place in society.”
Fake news, he said, often tarnishes the “good intentions and initiatives” of the current administration and other government agencies.
“MIL is therefore crucial in this digital age given the proliferation of disinformation and the need for individuals to be able to critically evaluate information,” De Vera said.
The CHEd chief noted that MIL is an essential component of students’ and teachers’ learning and allows for equitable access to knowledge.
“To engage in a digital society, we need to empower them in the use of proper tools to inquire, understand, communicate, and think critically and therefore, we in CHEd recognize the importance of MIL and we have been pushing for this for some time now,” De Vera said.
Aside from CHEd, the Department of Education, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Department of Social Welfare and Development are also part of the MIL initiative.
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the agencies would work together with the PCO in developing a comprehensive execution plan that will address the root causes of the proliferation of disinformation.
Aside from the government agencies, social media giants Google, Meta, TikTok and X will also take part in the MIL campaign.
“The MIL is the administration’s response to the disinformation and misinformation plaguing the country’s digital landscape, focusing on capacitating the youth to become more discerning consumers of media,” the PCO said.