Building this movement for facts

"WHY are you still posting fact-checking stories?" "The elections are over," are some comments I receive on my short videos I created for #FactsFirstPH. This first-of-a-kind initiative aimed to debunk the dubious claims online, make facts spread faster and farther than hate and lies, flag disinformation narratives and actors, and hold online perpetrators accountable. Though the collaboration was started early this year, I continued to focus on fact checks and media literacy because disinformation continues to thrive on social media platforms. Despite the negative comments, the positive feedback from my community makes it worthwhile to create and amplify short videos about facts.

"How will we work together to build this movement for facts?" is one question asked at the fifth annual APAC Trusted Media Summit (www.trustedmediasummit.com) recently held at the Google APAC headquarters in Singapore. After two years of fully virtual events, this year's Summit was a hybrid event, with an online regional gathering on September 20 and an in-person element in select locations. The annual summit brought together journalists, fact-checkers, educators, researchers, activists and policymakers who are fighting misinformation across the Asia-Pacific region. It was a wonderful opportunity to network and share best practices in the areas of fact-checking, verification, media literacy and research.