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Matanguihan, Trixie L.
PCBET-22-101A
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According to McGonagle (2017), "fake news" is defined as "deliberately fabricated and

disseminated information as misleading readers" and Roozenbeek and Van der Linder (2018)
noted that the term first gained international prominence during the 2016 presidential election
and is now a public issue (Baum). et al., 2017). According to Burkhadt (2017), it is one of the
major threats to society as documented by the World Economic Forums from the news,
playing an important role in the nation by being a major source of accurate information
(McGonagle, 2017). Moreover, it influences people in almost all of their daily decisions (Adah &
Horne, 2017; Devaney, 2013; & Espina, 2013). It is no longer guaranteed to be reliable due to
the proliferation of internet and social media platforms that allow it to be plentiful, stream fast
and easily accessible, and shared to many online viewers unlike media, radio, and television
publications. where news information undergoes a robust verification process before it is
broadcast or printed (Adah & Horne, 2017; Graauwmans, 2016).
The dangers posed by counterfeit news to the public have prompted various
governments around the world to act, especially in the Philippines. Filipinos are at greater risk
of fake news as it is rampant on the Internet considering they are one of the 67 most active
internet users in the world who spend an average of nine (9) and twenty-nine (29) minutes
online daily (We are a Community Together with -Hootsuite, 2018). An estimated 86% of the
information released by the media (Matsa, Mitchelle & Silver, 2018) is particularly true for 16-
to 24-year-olds who are active and heavy-duty users of technology who view online news as
more reliable than media outlets. As a first step in the fight against false news, the Senate
Public Information and Communication Committee led by Senator Grace Poe conducted the
hearing which began on October 4, 2017, and continued until January 30 and March 15, 2018,
respectively, aimed at determining the outcome. of false news in shaping public opinion and
the responsibility of government, bloggers and journalists in disseminating false information
(Roxas, 2017). News organizations in the Philippines are also affected by untrue stories
especially Rappler, the first digital news organization in the country (Ranada, 2018). Rappler is
widely accused of President Duterte's "counterfeit news organization" in his speech as his
second State of the Nation address [SONA] and the launch of air traffic control at Pasay
(Lopez, 2017). Launched on January 1, 2012, Rappler is the first digital news organization in the
Philippines led by veteran journalists and media executives Maria Ressa, Glenda Gloria, Chai
Holifeña, and Beth Fendoroso. Rappler's goal as a news organization is to integrate a common
way of broadcasting using digital technology and the Internet through social media using a
"crowd meter" or "crowdourcing tool" that measures student sentiment (Rappler wins UN's
2015 World Summit Award, 2015). A year after its launch, Alexa, web traffic data, and statistics
rank Rappler as the third highest online news site in the Philippines (Top Sites in the
Philippines, 2018). Three years later, Rappler was presented with an award at the United
Nations's World Summit Awards for its new website, the only one awarded by an Asian news
team (Rappler wins UN's 2015 World Summit Award, 2015).
Without recognition, the Securities Exchange Commission [SEC] has revoked
Rappler's operating license in violation of the Philippine Constitution which does not allow
foreign ownership of the media (Tiglao, 2018). As a precautionary measure, Rappler then
applied to the Court of Appeal for a review of the SEC's findings. The Court of Appeal has
rejected Rappler's request that the Securities Exchange and Commission's decision be effective
but persisted in giving Rappler reasonable compliance since the recent move by foreign
investor in question, Omidyar Network to offer one point five Philippine Deposit Deposits in
the US. 14 Filipino Rappler executives are an ‘act of faith’ (Buan, 2018). In addition to the
unconstitutional case, Rappler faces charges of tax evasion. As of 2019, there is no final
decision on Rappler's revocation of operating license; that is why they were even allowed to
continue its operation. With Rappler's ongoing case, it challenges Rappler's "credibility" as a
news organization where, according to Alotaibi (2016) and Campbell, Gibson, Gunter, and
Touri (2009), honesty is important in the field of mass communication especially on the
ground. media, where authenticity is based on its reliability as it is responsible for providing
accurate records of news events to the audience. McCraken (2011) states that news consumers
will often use the media if they see it as trustworthy. Flanagin and Metzger (2011) define
honesty as "the reliability of information and resources based on the credibility and intelligence
of the information source as interpreted by the recipient of the information" where honesty "is
a combination of credibility, trustworthiness and impartiality" while Technology refers to
"subject knowledge" (Bolalek, 2013).
According to Rappler, their name comes from the interaction of the word "rap" which
means to chat, and "to move" which means to make waves, and to mean to change by
connecting technology and the social media (About Rappler, 2011). Believing that a collective
response from a group of people is better than one expert opinion, the organization places
great value on students' emotional state in the subject they have produced. Therefore, the
emotional meter for every article posted on the Rappler website is available. In addition, they
also aim to connect with the ideas of network users as they have a vision of giving hope,
promoting and promoting things openly, and being socially responsible (About Rappler, 2011).
After its creation two years ago, it was announced as the third most visited news website in the
Philippines by Alexa (Rappler is the third top news site PH-Alexa, 2013). Rappler is currently
ranked fourth on the most visited online news website in the Philippines in September 2018
with 72.5% of visitors equivalent to 474,385 daily page views (Top Sites in the Philippines,
2018). Then in 2015, the organization received a World Summit Award for its contribution to
society in a new way of digital broadcasting. It was the only Asian organization to be included
in the News and News Category (Rappler wins UN 2015, 2015 World Summit Award).
In April 2018, the organization announced its partnership with Facebook as a third-
party fact-finding and Vera Files organization that aims to identify and reduce the spread of
false news on social media (Magsambol, 2018). In addition to this, Rappler has been a member
of Poynter's International Fact-Checking Network [IFCN] since 2017, an organization dedicated
to providing online and personal training, reviewing online articles, and promoting common
principles in checking the truth (Commit to public - sign. to obtain International Fact-Checking
Network code of conduct, nd)
Even with the recognition achieved, it did not exempt Rappler from the allegations
made by President Rodrigo Duterte and was labeled as a "fake news organization" in his
speeches particularly on his second State of the Nation Address [SONA] (Lopez, 2017). From
what I have researched, those resources explained why Rappler is not a credible or reliable
source. Therefore, I agree with the context "Sa Pilipinas, Rappler and hindi pinagtitiwalaang
pahayagan"
References:
2016 Annual Report. (2016). National Telecommunications Commission. Retrieved from:
https://goo.gl/mxhwfm
About Rappler. (2011). Rappler.com. Retrieved from: https://goo.gl/Me1dNL
Adah, S., & Horne, B. (2017). This Just In Fake News Packs a Lot in Title, Uses Simpler,
Repetitive Content in Text Body, More Similar to Satire than Real News. In International AAAI
Conference on Web and Social Media. Retrieved from: https://goo.gl/XhWc3R
Allcott, H., & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election. National
Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved from: https://goo.gl/emKFsE
Alotaibi, N. (2016). Online News: A Study of "Credibility" in the Context of the Saudi News
Media. Retrieved from: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/67077
American Press Institute (2017). A new understanding: What makes people trust and rely on
the news. Retrieved from: https://goo.gl/wo93L6
Anderson, J., Raine, L. (2017). The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online. Retrieved from:
https://pewrsr.ch/2yAHJCd
Arab, D. A. (2006). The Practice of Online Journalism in the Philippines: Personal Observations.
Retrieved from: https://goo.gl/oooyib
Araullo, C. P. (2018) Connecting the dots. Retrieved from:https://goo.gl/9fcqa4
Barthel, M. Mitchell, A., Holcomb, J. (2016). Many Americans Believe Fake News Is Sowing
Confusion. Retrieved from: https://pewrsr.ch/2h4cNyZ
Baum, M., Friedland, L., Grinberg, N., Hobbs, W., Joseph, K., Lazer, D., & Mattson, C. (2017).
Combating Fake News: An Agenda for Research and Action. Retrieved from:
http://www.sipotra.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Combating-Fake-News.pdf
Biddle, B. J. (1986). Recent Developments in Role Theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 12, 67-
92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.so.12.080186.000435.
Bolalek, A. (2013). News Source Preferences and News Source Credibility among College Staff,
Faculty, and Students. Retrieved from: https://goo.gl/aTV6Vh
Bolls, P., Myers, J., Sternadori, M., & Wise, K. (2009).
When Words Collide Online: How Writing Style and Video Intensity Affect Cognitive
Processing of Online News. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53, 532-546.
Buan, L. (2018). Court of Appeals to SEC: Give Rappler Corrective Period. Retrieved from:
https://bit.ly/2SOmsfA
Chung, J. C., Nam, Y., & Stefanone, M. A. (2012). Exploring online news credibility: the relative
influence of Tradition and technological factors. doi:10.1111/j.1083- 6101.2011.01565.
Graauwmans, V. (2016). Fake News in the Online World: An Experimental Study on Credibility
Evaluations of Fake News depending on Information Processing. Retrieved from:
https://goo.gl/h6y1Rd
Magsambol, B. (2018) Facebook partners with Rappler, Vera Files for the fact-checking
program. Retrieved from: https://goo.gl/o9SJGm
Ranada, P. (2018). Duterte calls Rappler "fake news outlet". Retrieved from:
https://goo.gl/K4HAKm

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Matanguihan, Trixie L.

According to McGonagle (2017), "fake news" is defined as "deliberately fabricated and

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