Written By Johann Elijah R. Dalit | October 21, 2025
Photographed By The Bedan Herald
Empowering Students to Navigate Misinformation in TBH’s Digital Disrupt
AIMING to raise awareness for media literacy in the expanding landscape of the digital media , THE BEDAN HERALD (TBH) invites Probe’s Executive Director, Elisa Zamora-Solis, Probe’s Partner Content Creator, Brian Black, and Paolo Barcelon from Bilyonaryo News Channel for this year’s Digital Disrupt: Navigating Truth in the Digital Age.
Held at the Rosendo Herrera Hall last Oct. 17, the seminar provided knowledge in differentiating legitimate facts and false news shared online.
Prof. Vanessa Ignacio, TBH Publication Adviser, welcomed everyone who attended and shared her insights about the topic for this year’s digital disrupt., She emphasized two truths to ponder upon. “First, collaboration beats competition, in a disrupted world, the best solutions are cross-disciplinary, and second, integrity is a feature not a footnote, lead with transparency, always choose impact over impressions,“ she stated.
Probe, an independent media production company and one of the pioneers of documentary filmmaking in the Philippines, kick-started the talk with their Executive Director, Elisa Zamora-Solis, and Partner Content Creator, Brian Black, with the topic “The Role of Social Media in Rewriting History and Influencing Public Perception.”
Photographed By Edwin B. Romero
Solis referenced a statement made by Facebook Executive Katie Harbath, noting that the Philippines was considered “Patient Zero” in the global disinformation epidemic, where the trolls and the spreading of fake news are widely present throughout the country, which inspired them to give context to stories online.
Solis also shared that Probe has also initiated fact-checking efforts to address the infamous use of artificial intelligence (AI) for fake information, especially for older people who are more likely to believe AI-generated content, as it is more realistic in today's technology, making it difficult for people to distinguish.
She also explained how media in the modern world helps in nurturing a person's media information literacy through various trends that are most likely to capture Gen Z’s attention. She also shared that the most powerful way to spread the truth is to take older stories that some might find boring, update them with trendy digital content, and thus make them intriguing through today's media. “Imagine kung pinanood niyo lang siya ng wala ‘yung trend na ‘yun, would you even watch it?” she said.
Being a content creator, Black explained their responsibility in fighting for the truth and being on the right side of history. He also stated that it is important for content creators to take a stand, as it is one of their duties to prevent the spread of misinformation with the use of their platforms.
Consequently, Black acknowledged today's content creators using their platforms to be more political and seeing the people have the fight in them, such as the drag queens who participated in the recent rally. “Ang daming galit ngayon sa social media, but if we don't do anything about it, it's gonna falter as well,” he expressed.
Photographed By Isabel Daenah Y. Manzanero
With the topic “Distinguishing the line between journalists and social media personalities,” Paolo Barcelon educated the student journalists to know what constitutes professional journalism and its ethical responsibilities in contrast to some social media personalities driven by popularity on their platforms. He emphasized that some personalities post controversial news online without thorough fact-checking and verification.“Social Media Personalities, what they do is share what we report on and amplify it with their preferred audience," Barcelon expressed.
In his closing remarks, Juan Miguel Diaz (IV-BSLM), TBH Editor-in-Chief, thanked everyone who attended the seminar and reminded everyone that they have the power to question, to verify, and to think critically and to use their voices for the truth. “In a world overflowing with content, our ability to discern fact from fiction is not just a skill, it's a responsibility,” he stated.
Chloe Nicole Quintela (II-BSLM), TBH Circulations Manager and project head, shared that organizing the event was both challenging and fulfilling for her and co-project head Haniel Mizukami (II-BAP), TBH Online Content Manager, as first-time event organizers.
“We started planning as early as July, but securing guest speakers was tough since most of our initial invites declined,” she recalled. Despite the setbacks, Chloe expressed pride in how their chosen speakers “exceeded all our expectations” and made the discussions engaging even for non-journalists.
Mizukami explained that the event aimed to raise awareness on how social media should be used and how harmful it is to believe without verifying sources. She emphasized the importance of responsible media consumption in today’s digital landscape, reminding everyone that “no matter what kind of information is presented in front of you, fact-checking will always be the most important thing to do.”
Volume 31 | Issue 4
