By Sonny Fernandez
Journalists covering the 2022 Philippine elections in Europe, Middle East, North America and Philippines underwent election reporting training from NUJP Europe and news website Pinoy Portal Europe to better deliver updates on the polls.
Less than three months to May polls, campaigns are heating up and surges in fake news, disinformation and hate speech are rapidly congesting traffic in social media.
The vicious streams warn voters against rivals with good intentions, impeccable track, integrity and credibility, redirect them to the subconscious mind of the electorate and flush them into oblivion.
Reporters covering the campaign trail are obligated to foil these slew of cyber toxic lies, fake news, hate messages and disinformation before they reach target audiences by arming themselves with truth, verified facts and information.
Diligently sifting through the truths and lies in a candidate’s propaganda, the operations of the state poll machinery, as well as in the whole election process, are as imperative as knowing the shelf life of food to prevent poisoning.
Thus is the overarching message of poll and media watchdogs to Filipino reporters covering overseas voting in various regions around the world.
32 journalists attended the election reporting training conducted by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines in partnership with Pinoy Portal Europe, an online news site, last January 29 and February 5, via Zoom conferencing.
NUJP Chairperson Jonathan De Santos, stressed that
“because of the special role and influence that overseas Filipinos have in their families in the Philippines, it is very important that overseas Filipinos have information that has been vetted and verified.”
De Santos encouraged colleagues abroad to tell empowering stories that will help OFWs and their families in the Philippines choose new leaders in the electoral contest.
“It is (just) as important to tell the stories of the diaspora and to be vigilant about claims spreading on social media and on chat groups by fact-checking them and putting them in the proper context,” he added.
UP Journalism Professor and poll watchdog Kontra-Daya Convenor Danny Arao, urged journalists
“to help voters make informed decisions based on platforms not personalities, and address the pandemic challenges amid tyranny and impunity.”
Atty Rona Caritos, executive director of poll watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections or LENTE, extended the call for honest, responsible and democratic elections, to the Filipino people.
Caritos elaborated that “for us to have a genuine and participatory Philippine elections, we need informed, empowered and engaged citizens and media. All of you have a vital role, you are a vital piece to this formula, to this equation.”
Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) Executive Director, Ellene Sana, called on migrant Filipinos to “ensure that they take part actively and vote wisely in the 2022 elections to ensure a better future for themselves and their families.”
Macel Ingles of the NUJP Directorate and editor of Pinoy Portal Europe reminded colleagues in the industry to
“understand better our role as media in this election and grasp the ethical responsibility we have to uphold in our coverage.”
Participants who are mostly correspondents of ABS-CBN The Filipino Channel are based in Norway, Spain, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, France, Oman, Canada, Ireland, Russia and the Philippines.
ЕND
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