THE Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC) has condemned and deplored the proliferation of false and deceptive stories in media platforms. On proposals in Congress, however, which seek to criminalize misinformation and disinformation, CCPC has repeatedly called for a clear and specific definition of “fake news.”
CCPC believes the definition of Senate Bill No. 1296 does not shield journalists from prosecution for mistakes in news gathering or editing. Fake news is defined in the bill as “misinformation or disinformation of stories, facts and news which is presented as a fact, the veracity of which cannot be confirmed, with the purpose of distorting the truth and misleading its audience.”
A Department of Justice lawyer said it is “very difficult to investigate and prosecute.” CCPC fears for something else: The proposed bill might become just another instrument to hit back at journalists and discourage active reporting and commentary.
CCPC DEFINITION. The proposed Senate definition does not exclude honest journalistic mistake or lapse in judgment in the field or in the newsroom -- or, for many “citizen journalists,” lack of journalistic training. The definition is so broad that it allows a prosecutor to raise a complaint to court even on shaky ground, so abundant in faith that it gives police and prosecutors unqualified discretion to judge what is fake news.
On March 6, 2018, CCPC defined “fake news” thus: “Fake news is fabricated content presented as factual information in the guise of news. Mistakes in reporting and editing, made in good faith in the rush of deadline are not fake news but such errors violate journalism standards and shall be avoided or promptly corrected.”
(CCPC offers definition of ‘fake news,’ SunStar, March 6, 2018; Why CCPC has defined ‘fake news,’ CJJ Magazine, June 26, 2018)
A media colleague reportedly suggested that Congress refrain from using the phrase “fake news.” An oxymoron: if it’s news, it’s not fake; if it’s fake, it’s not news. The problem is that “fake news” as a term is already widely used, with legitimate media work as among its victims.
Dictionary.com, Merriam Webster and other English dictionaries such as Cambridge, Collin, Mcmillan, and Oxford, and think groups like the Center for Information Technology and Society. It was word of the year in 2017.
What media can help is to have it defined clearly and specifically so that the public will be reminded of what it is not. The reason is more compelling in a penal law that could be used to intimidate and harass media workers.
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Atty. Pachico A. Seares
Executive Director
paseares1@gmail.com