EDITORIAL - News we can trust

World News Day is marked today as Filipinos are demanding accountability in a corruption scandal involving the systematic theft of mind-boggling amounts of public funds.

Accountability is also critical in consuming information, amid the explosion of sources on multiple platforms. Artificial intelligence has simplified content generation and access to information, but has also made it so much easier to churn out fake news, disinformation and erroneous and harmful content.

Today, people must navigate their way through a maze of digital content passed off as news, but which are designed mainly to drive revenue-generating clicks, promote personal interests or, worse, lure victims into elaborate scams.

Digitally enhanced fake news and malicious content have made it harder for people to make informed choices during elections. This undermines democracy, which derives strength from the power of the people expressed through a free vote.

Such an environment makes journalism all the more important. Journalists do not hide behind the anonymity of the internet; they are fully accountable to consumers of news and commentary. On multiple platforms, every item churned out by a journalist goes through layers of vetting – for accuracy, fairness, context. Journalists do not hide behind avatars, opening themselves to criminal and civil litigation in case professional ethics are breached.

Anchored on such values rather than the need for clickbait, commentaries by journalists help people cut through the clutter of information and make sense of events and ideas.

Journalism has been under constant siege – by repressive regimes, in conflict zones where warring parties want to control information, and by any person or group with little tolerance for unflattering but truthful reports and criticism.

Today, such threats have been aggravated by economic challenges posed by tech and AI companies that use news content generated by journalists without permission. Some of these companies end up with erroneous or distorted content.

Press organizations have warned that unless AI tech companies address the problems and work with mainstream media, people may lose trust in all sources of information, which will be bad news all around.

In the age of information that is easily altered and maliciously manipulated for sinister purposes, credible news becomes even more important. We need news we can trust.

It is in the public interest to choose truth. Choose facts. Choose journalism.