Majority of Pinoy youth have 'average skills' in identifying fake news —study

Majority of Filipino students have "average skills" in identifying fake news, according to a study conducted by a university-based opinion and survey research unit released on Wednesday.

In an online press conference, BOSES Pilipinas said 52.5% of youth respondents only got six to eight correct answers or an average score of 6.9 in a 10-item fake news quiz.

"Overall, we can conclude based on these figures that our students only have average skills in identifying fake news,” BOSES Pilipinas convenor Dr. Imelda Deinla said. 

BOSES Pilipinas -- or Boses, Opinyon, Siyasat, at Siyensya para sa Pilipinas -- describes itself as "the first university-based opinion and survey research unit established in the Philippines."

The study -- the second in a series of three -- was conducted from August 23, 2021 to September 24, 2021 on 24,625 respondents from 25 colleges and universities across the country.

The same study also showed that majority or 63% of the respondents believed they are somewhat confident in identifying fake news but only scored an average of 6.9 on the 10-item fake news quiz.

According to Deinla, this shows a "big mismatch between the students’ perceived ability in identifying fake news from real news, and their actual performance in the face of fake news."

"This means, their confidence did not translate to their ability when they answered the quiz," she added.

Award-winning journalist John Nery, who was present in the press conference, expressed alarm over fake news, calling it  "a direct threat to the hard-won ideal of informed consent."

"They damage, distort, and deform, and ultimately deny the very possibility of informed consent," he said.

BOSES Pilipinas said the first of such study was held on May 17 to June 24, 2021 among 7,744 respondents in 18 colleges and universities, while the third one will be conducted in February to March next year.

Web app

During the same online briefing, BOSES Pilipinas also launched the web application “What the Fake?! Ang Fake News Challenge ng Bayan” to serve as a misinformation diagnostic tool among voting-age Filipinos in preparation for next year's elections.

Deinla said the app is open to all voting-age Filipino citizens.

"By voting-age Filipino citizens, ibig sabihin nito ay hindi lang limitado sa mga kabataan ang puwedeng sumagot ng web app na ito, kung hindi lahat ng mga kababayan natin na nasa tamang edad na para makaboto and at the same time, gustong suriin ang sarili nila kung gaano sila ka-vulnerable sa fake news," she said. —KBK, GMA News