UPV leads democracy and disinformation project

The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) signed a memorandum of agreement with the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) on January 30, 2021 to lead the project on democracy and disinformation this year, which includes a series of activities such as national and regional conferences, fact-checking workshops, special initiatives, and academic research.

Dr. Zoilo S. Andrada, Jr., a faculty member of the Division of Humanities from the College of Arts and Sciences in UP Visayas, leads as the project director. Assistant project director is Isabella Marie Zerrudo, with Charmie Saligumba and Katherine Valencia as members, also faculty members of UPV.

The project is collaboration between UPV and the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation. The consortium is a nationwide network of journalists, academics, bloggers, and civil society representatives in the Philippines, supported by the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle Philippines, Holy Angel University, and the University of the Philippines. The consortium has four university-based hubs: Holy Angel in Angeles City, Ateneo de Manila in Quezon City, University of the Philippines Visayas in Iloilo, and Mindanao State University in Marawi City.

The network includes members from ABS-CBN, Al-Jazeera, GMA Network, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rappler, Vera Files; the Department of Journalism of the UP College of Mass Communication, the De La Salle University Communication Department, the Ateneo de Manila Department of Communication, and the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication; Blogwatch, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, Citizen Safe, the Foundation for Media Alternatives, Democracy.net, and Pagbabago@Pilipinas. Its partners come from the Phinma universities in Cebu, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro; Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro; Bicol State University in Legazpi; the University of the Philippines in Baguio and Cebu; and Ateneo de Davao University.

It has organized two national and 10 regional conferences reaching over 4,000 participants in the past years. The first conference was hosted by ADMU in 2018 with the title, “Democracy and Disinformation: Why “fake news” and other forms of disinformation threaten our freedoms, and how to fight back.” In 2019, the University of the Philippines led the conference with, “Disinformation and Democratic Decay: Why deceptive information erodes democratic institutions, and how to fight forward,” which was held in Bonifacio Global City.

The network has conducted fact-checking workshops and worked with media organizations to produce special initiatives in journalism (including a DIY fact-checking manual and six counter-disinformation videos). Furthermore, it also commissioned scholars to conduct important research into disinformation, presenting initial findings at a research forum called “Where’s the Lie?”

To date, it has organized one national and two international forums online: On the Anti-Terrorism Bill, on Facebook’s Oversight Board, and on The Trial of Maria Ressa et al, with a combined audience of almost 1,000 participants.

As part of its activities, UPV is hosting a three-day national online conference on February 22, 24, and 26, which gathers prominent media personalities, civil society representatives, and advocates to discuss disinformation and democracy in various contexts – media, health, law, and education.

The partners of UP Visayas include the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation, UPV Division of Humanities, UPV Information and Publications Office (IPO), DYUP 102.7 FM, Rappler’s MovePH, and Daily Guardian.

The event is free and interested participants must register through this link: https://bit.ly/2MApdU4

For updates, check the event’s social media sites:

Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/DandD2021/

Twitter – @DandD_2021

Instagram – @DandD_2021