WHAT'S IN A NAME? The term "fake news" is a misnomer and should be referred to as "lies" instead, a veteran journalist claimed Thursday.

"Pag sinabi nating news, balita, dapat totoo... Bago natin ipukol sa madla, sinisigurado nating tama ang balita natin. Ngayon, lalagyan mo ng 'fake news.' Ano iyun? Mayroon bang 'pekeng totoo?'" said Ellen Tordesillas, president of Vera Files, known for its investigative pieces.

"Mali ang term na iyan. Sa akin kasi, ang fake news, lies iyan, kasinungalingan iyan, plain and simple," Tordesillas added.

A Senate hearing on Wednesday grilled Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson for allegedly spreading "fake news" on her blog.

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Uson, who has 5.2 million Facebook followers, insisted she was only practicing her right to free speech. She added that she is a blogger ungoverned by journalism rules.

The Senate hearing also tackled incorrect information on the "Silent No More PH" website, which condemned 7 senators who failed to sign a resolution against the killing of minors.

Tordesillas reminded bloggers of their responsibility to provide accurate information.

"Hindi pwede iyung magkalat ka lang ng balita kahit kasinungalingan por que hindi ka journalist. May mga batas tayo," she said.

"The more power you have, the more responsible you should be. Power comes with responsibility, sabi ni Spiderman," Tordesillas added.

DZMM, 5 October 2017

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