THiNK! My Journalism Challenge To VERA Files & Rappler & Their Tsek.ph Partners Consisting Of 22 Academic, Media And Civil Society Institutions And Initiatives, Including My Alma Mater UP

To put it mildly, these are challenging times, from the Covid-19-related pandemic to politics trying to defeat heat-seeking, truth-aimed journalism. As a self-taught journalist, I’m out of there!

Meanwhile, ANN has come out with the news, “Bigger Tsek.ph To Be Relaunched Jan 24” (Author Not Named, 21 Jan 2022, verafiles.org):

Consistent in its efforts to counter disinformation through verified information, an expanded Tsek.ph, the country’s pioneering fact-checking collaboration, will be relaunched on Jan 24 in time for the May 9 elections.

It is like Tsek.ph saying, “What’s in a name? That which we call Truth by any other name would smell as sweet!” Except it’s not my species of rose.

The launch will be attended by its partners consisting of 22 academic, media and civil society institutions and initiatives that have agreed to collaborate to provide the public with truthful and factual information regarding the elections by debunking false and misleading narratives from public figures, news media and social media. It will be livestreamed on Tsek.ph and DZUP’s Facebook pages.

VERA Files says, “Truth is our business.” This journalist says, “Truth Journalism (TJ) easily fails the Rotary 4-Way Test.” I became a Rotarian years ago; a Rotarian I will always be. And TJ fails miserably with Zig Ziglar’s THINK test. As a journalist, not simply Truth but THiNK! is my business.
(“Think!” image from Think.gov.uk)

ANN says:

Tsek.ph was initiated by the University of the Philippines (UP) in 2019 as a public service commitment to combat disinformation. It is a project under the university’s Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and spearheaded by the Department of Journalism under the College of Mass Communication.

UP, bastion of academic freedom. Now then, the likes of VERA Files and Rappler & UP journalists must look at themselves as heroes. But Truth Journalism is not communication for development (ComDev), to which I am dedicated. Not communication for devilment.

In 2019, Tsek.ph united three academic institutions and 11 media partners. This year, Tsek.ph expanded its membership in academe and media and now includes fact-checkers from civil society and multisectoral organizations.

Merriam-Webstersays to “fact-check” is “to verify the factual accuracy of” (Merriam-webster.com). ANN says:

Mr Baybars Orsek, Director of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the US-based Poynter Institute, will deliver the keynote speech at the launch. The IFCN promotes the excellence of fact-checking to more than 100 organizations worldwide through advocacy, training and global events.

Fact-checking is part of journalism’s commitment to provide the public with accurate information they need to become informed citizens. It also plays a watchdog role by holding those in power accountable for spreading false or misleading claims. As the May elections draw near, fact-checkers have pooled their fact-checking efforts to help the electorate choose the right candidates. Tsek.ph unifies these laudable efforts in an online hub.

Nah. Negative. A hard-headed ComDev communicator, I will remain Positive in THiNK! Journalism for as long as I live!@517

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