Speaking Truth to Power in the Era of Fake News and Propaganda: Insights from the Philippines and Southeast Asia

Join us for lunch and a lecture as a part of the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Asia Mediated Lecture Series.

Sheila Coronel: professor, dean of academic affairs and director at Toni Stabile for Investigative Journalism, Colombia University

Areas of expertise: Freedom of information, human rights and democracy, global investigative journalism, Southeast Asia.

Abstract:
The news media in Southeast Asia, like elsewhere in the world, are being challenged by the dissemination online, especially on social media platforms, of fake news and propaganda. This comes at a time when the news media are facing problems on various fronts, including collapsing revenue models, pressure from media owners, and more draconian restrictions on the right to report and publish. This talk will examine the prospects for truth-telling in polarized and propaganda-rich media environments in Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines.