PressOne.PH has launched an advocacy campaign to raise awareness about the adverse effects of fake news on the younger generation, with Redbin Philippines as its creative agency partner.
Consuming information, whether offline or online, has been a part of our daily lives. Studies, however, have proven the negative effect of disinformation on society.
The UNICEF said children can be “targets and objects of mis/disinformation, spreaders or creators of it, and opponents of mis/disinformation in actively seeking to counter falsehoods.” The UN agency added that “the young, innocent kids perceive what they hear and see as the truth, making them the most vulnerable victims of false information. “
To test the gravity of fake news and its effects on the younger generation, PressOne.PH partnered with Redbin Philippines to ask some kids to write any story they’d watched online or heard from among their friends and relatives. Using the “news stories” handwritten by these kids, we shared them in a new Facebook page created for this experiment.
We released the stories online, one story at a time. Online engagement was encouraging as netizens chimed in to discuss each post and answer the question we ask after each post: “Totoo ba?”
On-ground, we also released the limited-edition newspaper in areas with high foot traffic.
But behind the cuteness of their handwriting, sketches, and stories hides the alarming possibility that these stories might be false or misleading.
“We at PressOne.PH took this opportunity to partner with Redbin to highlight the danger that kids, too, are gullible to online disinformation. As a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), PressOne.PH is determined to highlight the importance of fact-checking and credible information sources so that we can provide a more factual and safe online space for our kids,” says Rommel Lopez, Associate Editor at PressOne.PH.
“When the team pitched this idea, I knew back then that it should be released to the public. People should be aware of who the real victims of fake news are: kids. It is our job to protect them at all costs,” Ben Berdin, Chief Creative Officer of Redbin Philippines, said.
A day after the launch, the News By Kids Facebook page took social media by storm! Netizens were highly engaged in the discussions, seeing the negative effects of fake news on children, while others thought the stories were true.
A few weeks after we allowed netizens to analyze the credibility of the stories, PressOne.PH revealed that the page was a social experiment to test the gravity of fake news. Every story written by kids was fact-checked and published on PressOne.PH’s website and shared across its social media platforms.
RJ Espartinez, Associate Creative Director at Redbin Philippines, said, “This effort is actually bigger than PressOne.PH, bigger than Redbin, and bigger than all of us. Because behind the cuteness of these kids’ handwriting is the ugly truth: the battle against misinformation and disinformation is far from over. Being in the business of communication, we will continue to strive hard and do our part in protecting the true-truth tellers—kids.”
The News By Kids page will remain on Facebook to remind people about the dangers of disinformation and misinformation on the younger generation.
CAMPAIGN CREDITS:
Client: PressOnePH
Editor-in-Chief: Felipe F. Salvosa II
Associate Editor: Rommel F. Lopez
Multimedia Editor: Nikko Balbedina
Agency: Redbin Philippines
Chief Creative Officer: Ben Berdin
Creative Director: Rose Pantoja-Beldia
Associate Creative Director: RJ Espartinez
Copywriter: Hannah Ang
Jr. Art Directors: Richard Nicole Nicolas, Coleen Madera
Copywriter Interns: Caloy Buan, Ashley Deocareza
Associate Creative Director: Jheck Figuracion
General Manager: Jam Loresto
Account Manager: Camille Yap-Castro
Project Managers: Jie Lim, Belle Honrade
Account Director: Steph Castillo
Digital Marketing Manager: Tony Tuason
Community Manager: Allyssa Marie Semaña
Digital Campaign Manager: Nori Isturis