Luzon youth leaders release creative campaigns on media literacy, fact-checking

MANILA, Philippines – A love story, a children’s show, and social media campaign about weather terms were just some of the ways seven youth leaders from different parts of Luzon tackled disinformation in workshops given by Rappler and Deutsche Welle Akademie.

These creative social media campaigns were produced from August to November this year as part of an effort to localize media and information literacy, fact-checking, and critical thinking skills. The work of the seven participants are compiled in this page. Feel free to share their work!

These materials were created after intensive workshops held by Rappler and DW Akademie from August 4 to 8 in Naga City, Camarines Sur. The participants were then given guidance in the months after the in-person training before they published their campaigns on their organizations’ social media pages. You can learn more about the training at the end of this article.

Here are the individual projects released by trainees and content creators of Movers for Facts Luzon:

Kusóg Bikolandia

“Kusóg Bikolandia” is a regional media and information literacy caravan for schools and far-flung communities in the Bicol region, which aims to teach how media and information literacy can be applied to the fields of medicine, law, agriculture, and entrepreneurship. Gathering about 150 participants from the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, and Masbate, the training was organized by the College Editors Guild of the Philippines-Bicol chairperson Reinnard Balonzo. 

Tamang Panahon

“Tamang Panahon” is a series of infographics that highlight the critical role of media and information literacy (MIL) in combating the spread of disinformation in weather reports. Organized by Bicol University student Dan Christian Avila, along with meteorology students of BU Storm, the campaign provides tools to help people better understand meteorological terms, critically assess weather forecasts, and spot unreliable information.

The campaign was launched during the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, one of the most destructive storms that hit the Philippines this year. Communities in Bicol were among the most affected by the storm. The infographics were also useful in preparation for Super Typhoon Pepito, which came weeks after Kristine and also affected parts of Bicol. 

Project MILES: Miles in Love

“Project MILES” is an edutainment video series which combines storytelling with practical lessons on the proper use of media and information literacy. Following the story of teacher Miles, Missy, Dave, and Jam, the project empowers students to become responsible media users and consumers while addressing issues such as fake news, disinformation, and digital awareness. The launch of the series garnered at least 1 million views and 31,000 likes on Facebook. 

The video series was organized by information officer John Kelly Alpapara, through The Stateans, the official student publication of Central Bicol State University of Agriculture-Pili. 

Paslit Talk

Deriving from the Filipino word paslit (child), “Paslit Talk” is a video series on media and information literacy catering to the level of understanding of grade school students. The video series features the main character, Ate Mayel, who addresses basic MIL-related questions raised by several children. 

This was organized by Kim Arrol de Guzman, a teacher at the Community College of Manito in Manito, Albay. To help address language barriers in understanding the MIL subject, the video series was done in Bicolano. 

Bungkaras Na: Unleash the Truth

“Bungkaras Na,” Bicolano for “be informed,” is often used to express one’s civic participation. “Bungkaras Na: Unleash the Truth,” is an online campaign featuring infographics and reels that give tips on how to spot dubious claims and help counter disinformation through our own means. 

The campaign was organized by Emmanuel Salting, a student of the University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi. 

Ateneans for Facts

#AteneansForFacts is an online campaign featuring a video series on enhancing MIL through the perspective of students of Ateneo de Naga University. The series focuses on fact-checking and critical evaluation of online content, protecting digital well-being and safety, and leveraging social media for the common good. 

The series was organized by Van Jose Q. Martinez, a coordinator for advocacy and development at the Ateneo de Naga University.

The Climate Crisis is not an opinion

To help people become more critical about discussions on climate change and proposed solutions, Tanya Granados of Mission Isla launched a series of infographics with the main headline, “The climate crisis is not an opinion.” The series aims to define terminologies that will help people develop a critical eye when reading about climate denialism and greenwashing.

More about the Movers for Facts project

Given the unique challenges of disinformation, fraud, and scams, among others, in far-flung communities, there is definitely a need to MIL, especially at the local level. 

In formal education, MIL has been included in the senior high school curriculum. However, many Filipinos still fail to understand the importance of being media literate given how the consequences of media consumption are not properly catered to the unique issues of their communities. On top of that, MIL teachers still lack training, and most of them rely on textbook knowledge on what MIL is. 

To help address the challenge of localizing MIL, at least 15 local youth leaders across Camarines Sur, Laguna, and Bataan, were gathered in a trainers’ training program, called Movers for Facts Luzon, to train them on various MIL concepts, with a focus on countering disinformation. The training covers understanding the media landscape of their communities, critical thinking and fact-checking, and improving digital wellbeing. 

The 15 participants chose between two tracks: training and campaigns. Those who decided on the training track were able to pass their learnings to over 200 participants in their communities by conducting their own webinars and on-ground training. Those who took the campaign track produced the multimedia executions compiled in this page and posted them on social media platforms most accessible to their communities.

This program was conducted by Rappler, in partnership with fact-checking initiative #FactsFirstPH, and DW Akademie, the international media development and journalism training arm of Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international broadcaster. A similar program was also done in Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao. 

Movers for Facts is the Philippine leg of DW Akademie’s series of interactive MIL workshops to train multipliers in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and Malaysia. These workshops have a common theme: “Together against disinformation: Reliable facts and new ideas.” This project was funded by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt). – Rappler.com