Editorial: Be mindful of what you share

EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL

ON FRIDAY, August 30, 2019, a message circulated through text messages and over social media of a child dying of meningococcemia at a hospital in Davao City. One of the messages that were passed on to different individuals read, “Pls. ayaw mo adto sa brokenshire hospital now kay unfortunately na exposed mi sa e.r naka sabay namo ang bata na late na na diagnosed ug meningo coccemia ug namatay na sya.. kaya wala p jud mi kauli karn. [sad face emoji with tear] Kay ga meeting pa mga doctor kung unsay himoon sa amoa na naexposed aning airborne na sakit. [crying emoji] From a friend. Wag kayong pumunta brok hospital ha. [sic].” Considered as a high-risk disease if not given immediate attention, many were alarmed and were quick to spread the message. While we understand the alarm over such information, the message spreading like wildfire may have inadvertently caused panicked among Dabawenyos. SunStar Davao received multiple messages on its Facebook page questioning the validity of the message that has been going around. Photos of the dead child were also being posted and shared by netizens. Health officials and the hospital also took a while to release their respective official statements on the message that has been going around. This is understandable too because they have to make sure that they made necessary tests before they release any information. It was already late in the evening that we were able to get a statement from Dr. Julinda Acosta, technical division chief of Davao City Health Office, on the unverified messages on meningococcemia. Brokenshire Memorial Hospital also issued its statement around midnight already while the Department of Health in Davao Region and the Davao City Health Office released its statement in the morning of August 31. We appreciate that the concerned agencies were able to make clarifications over the messages that were being shared that have caused panic among the public. However, there is a statement at the end of their respective statements that also stood out -- reminding the public to refrain from sharing unverified information and be responsible with what they are sharing. With many having their own mobile devices on hand for most of the day, receiving and sharing information is as fast as it can be in the Philippines. While this can be a good thing, this is also a bad thing when left unchecked. What happened on August 30 is a testimony why there is a need to continue to educate the public on being responsible netizens in social media when handling information. It is a general rule in communication that before sharing information it must be verified by an official source. Security threats must be validated or verified with the security forces just like how health issues are validated and verified by health officials. Therefore, no matter how alarming a message can be, we should avoid spreading it unless it comes from the mouth of someone who can speak of the issue. In the case of the unverified meningococcemia messages last week, it is the health officials or the hospital who should confirm it, not your neighbor. We understand that you are alarmed over these kinds of messages when you receive them. However, you should refrain from spreading it considering that it is still unverified. We know that you are seeking information but there is a process before releasing that certain information to ensure it does not cause panic. In the case of the health officials and hospital, they have to conduct tests to confirm that the child really died of meningococcemia. DOH 11 regional director Dr. Annabelle P. Yumang had already confirmed yesterday that the suspected meningococcemia case admitted at Brokenshire Memorial Hospital is confirmed to be positive. At the same time, she appealed to the public to be more cautious about what they share online. “We would like to appeal to the public to be responsible in sharing information, especially in social media. The things you share on your account can end up being shared by other users also, so think before you post or share,” she said.

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph