We beg to differ.
“Fake news” this and “fake news” that. But does anyone really know what “fake news” is? The fact is, “fake news” has become a term that is bandied around the most by wannabe “activists” who couldn’t be bothered to define terms clearly first before building entire “advocacies” around these. The Collins dictionary defines “fake news”…
Read More “Overuse has made the term “fake news” meaningless” »
You’d think the Senate probe on “fake news” would be an undertaking in aid of legislation. Thus the presumption underlying such a probe is that some sort of legislation will be proposed to address the “problem” of “fake news”. So what exactly is the “problem” with “fake news”? One thing that could be noted in…
It’s not clear what Senator Grace Poe as the chairman for the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media wanted to achieve in conducting a hearing on fake news. The hearing did not have any clear objective. Poe just allowed the resource speakers to state their claim and then… nothing. She doesn’t even ask for…
Read More “Senate inquiry on “fake news” turns into pointless finger-pointing exercise” »
It’s been several weeks since the Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a shutter order to “social news network” Rappler for violation of constitutional provisions banning foreign control of media businesses in the country. Over that period, RapplerCEO Maria Ressa has campaigned vigorously to spin this compliance violation into one around an imagined issue…
Read More “Maria Ressa continues to LIE about the “death” of “press freedom” in the Philippines” »
Just like how “fake news” exists (supposedly) because many people couldn’t be bothered to check before “liking” or “sharing”, a branded witchhunt targetting “fake news” could gain steam because people couldn’t be bothered to check first before embracing the notion of “fake news”. Let me explain why I used the word “branded” to qualify the…
Read More “The ‘Free Market of Ideas’ is not for mainstream media to control” »
Who are the real enemies of the Filipino people? No, it’s not the Chinese nor Americans. In fact, we don’t need to look too far to see that the real enemies are Filipinos themselves – those who will do anything including betray their own countrymen just to achieve their own personal agendas. They are rotten to…
Read More “Some members of mainstream media are the real enemies of the Filipino people” »
All the recent hullabaloo about Rappler and similar journalists likely come from the opinion that journalists are a special breed. Because the self-declared mission of journalists is to uncover the truth, journalism is supposed to be a “special profession,” and journalists are “special,” and so they deserve “special” treatment and protection. Really, all sorts of…
Read More “Journalists – or anyone after all – are not A Special Breed” »
Embattled Rappler CEO Maria Ressa seems to think it should be. According to Ressa, content allowed by Facebook to be shared on its site “threatens the country’s democracy.” Ressa adds… “We’re seeing our democracy eroding in front of our eyes and Facebook is the platform where it’s happening.” Ressa’s concern lies in planned changes to…
Read More “Does Maria Ressa want Facebook banned in the Philippines?” »