WE are still struggling against COVID-19. Amid this challenge, an equally intense battle rages on — the fight against disinformation and fake news. They have gotten increasingly out of hand as more people shift their lives online.

Fake news today is no longer just a trivial matter to be glossed over or ignored. It has very real and serious implications on business, politics, the economy, education, and even on health.

Hélène Papper, head of the United Nations Information Centre in Colombia, spoke about the challenges they encountered during the pandemic. She cited how people in Colombia and other Latin American countries received false WhatsApp messages that said “Stay home, the UN will bring you food,” as it asked for personal data in exchange. These texts prompted people to actually visit the UN office expecting to receive something to eat.

Another set of messages falsely attributed to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recommended that people “drink hot water and avoid eating ice cream to prevent infections.” Getting the right messages out about COVID-19 at the current information environment is a struggle, conceded Papper, but this would save lives if done successfully.

Moving forward, such a widespread problem is best tackled through alliances that bring key stakeholders together.

In the Philippines, digital solutions provider Globe has taken that same approach by partnering with global non-profit Internews as it seeks to promote trusted local news and raise quality journalism above the disinformation clutter.

The project aims to accomplish this by providing programmatic advertising support to carefully vetted local media organizations, thereby strengthening these legitimate media outlets financially to compete against websites peddling disinformation and hate speech.

Globe is working with Internews’ Ads for News program to direct ad spending towards trustworthy online news sites indexed by Internews. These news sites include small and independent media outlets that currently have limited access to new investments and sources of funding.

Ads for News is a global program led by Internews and supported by the World Economic Forum and GroupM that provides much-needed ad support for local media organizations as they face financial woes. It also hopes to prevent the use of advertising funds on websites linked to fake news.

Globe is the first telco and digital platform to formalize such a partnership, expanding its long-going and evolving set of programs that aim to protect the public against online threats, including false information.

Its #TruthInAction campaign, for instance, supports the private sector’s INGAT ANGAT Bakuna Lahat program in an effort to educate the public on the safety of vaccines and encourage everyone to do their part in ending the pandemic.

The campaign’s unique approach makes use of a series of videos illustrating the erroneous claims people have shared about COVID-19 vaccines. It also includes a pledge that urges the public to become responsible digital citizens and avoid spreading malicious and fake information online.

Globe has also supported events such as the PANAF Youth Creativity Festival (YCF) in 2021, which trains the Filipino youth to be more discerning in using technology and the internet. Through the event, Globe brought together esteemed journalists from the country’s top print and online media to talk about the importance of being responsible digital citizens especially for young communicators amid the proliferation of fake news.

In addition, its long-running #MakeITSafePH campaign works towards the protection of children from online abuse through content filtering systems among others.

Globe’s Digital Thumbprint Program, meanwhile, teaches children responsible digital citizenship through public education modules and workshops.

Globe has provided an ideal framework for how the private sector can work together with government and civic institutions to limit the negative impact of fake news on society, and to help ensure that the truth is not overshadowed by falsehoods and disinformation. More work needs to be done however, and the effort needs the support of all sectors.

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