President Bongbong Marcos urged continued media support to inform the public about government programs and initiatives in the face of rampant fake news, misinformation, and attacks on the administration.
The President said that while social media content was initially seen as amusing, it has now become harmful to government operations.
He emphasized the importance of accurate reporting, which mainstream media provides, as irresponsible content and conspiracy theories now proliferate online, misleading those who cannot distinguish between real and fake news.
“Fake news has taken too much of the space. In the beginning, we thought it was funny, it was entertaining, but now it’s become damaging. And that is something that we have to be concerned about,” the President said.
Marcos expressed gratitude to journalists, particularly the Malacañang Press Corps, for covering government activities.
“So I thank all the members of the Malacañang Press Corps, because you have been there with us all the way,” he said.
He also called on media practitioners to strengthen media literacy by encouraging the public to critically evaluate the information they encounter to better understand its importance.