In line with their continuous commitment to fact-checking, members of the UP Visayas iWrite attended Agence France-Presse’s (AFP) virtual workshop, supported by Tsek.ph, last March 1 and 8 of this year.
According to iWrite’s Adviser, Dr. Zoilo S. Andrada, Jr., he was invited by UP Diliman Associate Professors Dr. Diosa Labiste and Asst. Prof. Yvonne Chua to join Tsek.ph. At the same time, a formal invitation letter was sent to the Division of Humanities, prompting its participation in Tsek.ph.
“This is the reason why we are recognized as UPV Division of Humanities iWrite. As a new member to Tsek.ph, iWrite has been invited to undergo a series of preparatory workshops on fact-checking,” Dr. Andrada explained.
Tsek.ph is a collaborative fact-checking project for the Philippines’ elections. First launched in 2019, it is an initiative of the academe, media, and civil society to counter disinformation and provide the public with verified information. Meanwhile, AFP is an independent European news agency dedicated to seeking and reporting the truth, ensuring accurate, balanced, and impartial news coverage worldwide.
Sharing similar advocacies, AFP and Tsek.ph joined forces to launch the two separate-day virtual workshops every Saturday in preparation for the upcoming midterm elections in the Philippines. A total of 12 organizations across the country, including iWrite, took part in the training.
The forums’ speakers were Sophia Xu, a Digital Training Manager for Asia-Pacific (APAC) who leads AFP’s digital journalism training program across the said region, and Jake Soriano, a former Philippine broadcaster for GMA News and editor at Tsek.ph and Vera Files, but now working as a Deputy Head of Digital Investigation for Asia-Pacific.
Two topics were covered during the workshops: “Digital Investigation Fundamentals” on the first day, and “Philippine elections: How can journalists verify and debunk misinformation in the age of AI?” on the second.
Throughout the two sessions, speakers discussed the differences and common types of mis- and disinformation circulating in Asia, particularly in the Philippines. They also emphasized the essential skills journalists and fact-checkers must develop to combat such issues amid an evolving media landscape and fast-paced information ecosystem.
To reinforce their learnings and deepen their understanding, participants engaged in hands-on exercises, applying digital investigative techniques both individually and collaboratively.
Amanda Isabel Contemplacion, a member of iWrite’s Creatives and Publication Committee and a first-year BA in Communication and Media Studies (CMS) student from UPV, shared her insights and learnings during the workshops.
“One of the most valuable insights I gained from the workshop is the importance of verifying information before reporting it. Especially with the upcoming elections, ka very crucial gid mag provide accurate and well-researched information to the readers. This skill will not only help me uphold journalistic integrity but also para man nga ka-contribute ako positively to the election discourse by providing reliable and truthful coverage,” Contemplacion answered.
Participants were also introduced to essential fact-checking tools, including Refined Search Operators, Reverse Image Search, Geolocation, Archiving, and Verification Methods for Audio Cloning and Video Manipulations.
Sophia Maye Vale, also a BA in CMS freshman student and a Junior Executive Officer of iWrite, expressed her appreciation and enthusiasm for learning these tools and techniques, especially the Refined Search Operators, which she believes will be highly beneficial to their organization.
“The most valuable insight or skill I have gained from the workshop would be learning how to use search engines, like Google, to their fullest potential using search operators. I believe this can be useful when looking for specific details regarding certain cryptic posts, especially when it comes to fact-checking articles,” Vale said.
Furthermore, with the proliferation of deep fakes and false content, Contemplacion and Vale also expressed their interest in future workshops, looking forward to learning and exploring more about the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the media. Fully aware of its double-edged nature, they seek to understand how AI can mitigate its potential for generating misleading and unverified information and instead serve as a tool for detecting and combating falsehoods.
Meanwhile, when asked about how the workshop changed her perception about false information and the media landscape, Samantha Mae Tayopon, a Documentation Committee member of iWrite and a third-year BA in CMS student, highlighted such concerns stem from technological advancements, hence emphasizing the crucial role journalists must uphold.
“The advancement of technology has allowed us to have a better grasp of the happenings in our society [and] our country. But this has opened doors for altered, fake news or information to spread and perpetuate, especially in the online space, [hence,] the need for enhanced media literacy among users and consumers of media, and for campus journalists to always exercise fact-checking and cross-checking, especially in the upcoming elections,” Tayopon stated.
The AFP-Tsek.ph workshop served as one of iWrite’s key preparations for the upcoming 2025 midterm elections in the Philippines. Armed with newfound knowledge and tools, the organization remains steadfast in navigating the complexities of the information landscape, ensuring that credible, ethical, and verified reporting remains at the forefront of their advocacy.
