Meedan worked with Rappler and Google News Initiative to launch #FactsFirstPH, a first-of-its-kind initiative to fight for facts ahead of the May 2022 Presidential elections in the Philippines.
More than 140 civil society organizations, newsrooms, business groups, legal groups and research groups came together to form the #FactsFirstPH coalition.
- Meedan was the leading tech partner providing support through its Check platform.
- During the initial stages, Meedan and Rappler collaborated closely in crafting contracts and designing reporting systems. They ensured that the Terms of Reference documents were written with the local context and sensitivities in an election project in mind.
- Meedan onboarded members on the use of the tiplines and Check platform and also provided training sessions on secondary trauma and trauma mitigation. The latter acted as safe spaces for the participants especially as they would be exposed to more disturbing online content and even become targets of online and personal attacks.
How it works
#FactsFirstPH collectively pushed for truth-telling and debunking lies through four steps: fact-checking by news organizations; networking by civil society and grassroots groups; research and analysis by academic institutions; and seeking accountability by lawyers’ groups.
Fact-checking
News organizations, academics, and partner groups fact-check claims and publish reports debunking lies or misleading information. The news organizations also mobilize communities to directly report online claims through their own tiplines on Messenger, Viber, Twitter, and other applicable platforms.
Mesh
Civil society organizations, religious groups, and business communities are expected to monitor claims online and share these fact checks to a wider audience. They also organize campaigns, translate fact checks into different Philippine languages, and amplify calls to promote truth and practice the habit of fact-checking.
Research
Produce research aimed at flagging false narratives and identifying the disinformation actors online
Accountability
Lawyers and legal coalitions work with fact checkers, partner organizations, and research institutions to come up with ways to deter and respond to online attacks against truth-tellers.
