GMA Integrated News joins International Media Conference

GMA Integrated News officers and managers recently participated in the East-West Center International Media Conference held at the PICC last June 24-26.

They joined some 350 journalists and media professionals from around 30 countries to discuss key issues involving the media industry, such as the role of artificial intelligence or AI in journalism, climate reporting, and challenges faced by reporters in the Asia and Pacific region.

The event also featured keynote speeches by Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, who both discussed longstanding ties between America and the Philippines as well as championed press freedom.

GMA Integrated News consultant and GMA News Online Editor-at-Large Howie Severino was part of the plenary on “Reporting at Global Crossroads” which featured six senior regional journalists who discussed developing trends and challenges for media professionals in the Asia-Pacific region.

Building Trust and Digital Strategies for Traditional Newsrooms

Mariz Umali and Social Media Asst. Manager Theodore Ortiz conducted a breakout session entitled “Building Trust and Digital Strategies for Traditional Newsrooms” about effective strategies to combat disinformation while harnessing the power of social media. It also provided practical tools and insights to improve reporting and stay relevant in an ever-evolving media environment.

Mariz shared her insights on how social media has shaped her career as a reporter and how it has helped her in her duties. She noted that by being present on social media platforms like TikTok and Faechook, she can combat misinformation that proliferates on different platforms.

Mariz also said that her presence on social media platforms did not taint her credibility, and while her accessibility made her more vulnerable to criticisms, it also made her “even more careful in ensuring that my story is airtight, that it is fair, that the information I obtained is accurate and has the correct context.”

By embracing transparency, interactive content, rigorous fact-checking, comprehensive coverage, data-driven journalism, and continuous education, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism in the digital age, Mariz said.

Meanwhile, Theodore Ortiz, GMAIN Social Media’s acting assistant manager, showed examples of how traditional newsrooms can start adapting to the changes in communication and information dissemination to further grow and reach more people. These include capitalizing on social media trends, catchy audio clips, and creating content tailored specifically for audiences on TikTok and other short-form social media platforms.

He emphasized shifting the mindset of traditional newsrooms from believing that social media is a platform for disinformation to understanding that social media is merely a tool that can be used; therefore, newsrooms should reach out to more people through social media, and journalists should be present in the platform where misinformation spreads easily to effectively spread the truth.

He reminded journalists that they are communicators, and the media needs to adapt to communicate better with the changing and growing audience online.

Effective Fact-checking and Verification

In a panel discussion, GMAIN Social Media Manager Audrey Domasian highlighted the importance of pre-bunking more than debunking misinformation, as this would better equip people online with the facts.

During her talk, she reiterated that by pre-bunking, we build a community of media-literate social media users who are prepared to face and counter misinformation, thus helping newsrooms spread the truth and fight bad players online.

Aside from misinformation, the proliferation of deepfakes was identified as a bigger concern and challenge by the rest of the panel, which included Art Min, a technologist who developed a deepfake detection tool produced under the non-profit organization TrueMedia.Org.  The deepfake detection tool by TrueMedia is currently in beta testing but already boasts high confidence levels in its detection. Syed Nazakat Founder and CEO of DataLEADS presented different fact-checking initiatives and how networks of journalists were able to debunk false narratives during the recent elections in India held this year, encouraging journalists in attendance to continue to join fact-checking networks to improve their skills.