From the Website of PNA
links https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1264551
President seeks media help to curb ‘damaging’ fake news
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday urged the media to intensify cooperation
Speaking with members of the Malacañang Press Corps in a year-end fellowship at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Wednesday night, Marcos said misinformation has become alarmingly prevalent, undermining public discourse and decision-making as it drowns out journalists’ fact-based reporting.
“Like I said, nobody anywhere won an election with a 100-percent result. Because there will always be opposition. But that's fine,” Marcos said.
“Our big problem, and this one, I need your help. I don't know how to approach it. We have many, many ideas. But what we need to work together on is the fake news,” he added, expressing concern that misinformation and disinformation have “taken too much of the space.”
‘Damaging’
Marcos lamented that years of journalistic training, expertise, and cultivated networks are being placed on equal footing with unfounded conspiracy theories posted on social media platforms.
“In the beginning, we thought it (fake news) was funny, it was entertaining, but now it’s become damaging. And that is something that we have to be concerned with,” he said.
“Now, suddenly, it is your writings, your opinions [that] are equal in importance and credibility to these crazy conspiracy theories that have no basis in fact. And that’s why we have to work on this very, very hard.”
Marcos cautioned that misinformation now shapes public sentiment, fuels confusion, and creates an environment where factual reporting struggles to compete with sensational or fabricated narratives.
He warned that if not addressed, the trend could result in the public being drawn into “a crazy mind game that the people have been playing without any connection any more to reality.”
“And it's not an easy one. It's not an easy challenge. But it would be easy to try and do it because it is important that people know what is happening to you,” Marcos said.
Partnership
Marcos stressed that collaboration between the government and the media is essential to counter misinformation effectively.
“Government needs the help of all the media to explain to people that you have to be more discerning about what you read and what you believe. And that is a challenge, I think, for us in the future,” he said.
Marcos emphasized that journalists’ credibility and institutional roles are key to rebuilding an informed citizenry capable of filtering out manipulative content.
He expressed optimism that the good working relationship developed between the administration and the media since he assumed office in 2022 will be sustained.
“I hope that that can be made to apply to this problem that we face, thereby giving us a much better, much more logical time of discussion,” Marcos said, thanking the Palace reporters for their continued dedication despite the demands of their work and the pressure brought about by the fast-evolving media landscape.
“I thank you for this partnership that we have fostered over the last three and a half years. And that has made it even stronger because we now are facing the challenge that we have to work together to address. But thank you for what you have done. Thank you for all your efforts.” (PNA)
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