SCHOOLS would be the ideal first line of defense in the “battle against disinformation” in the wake of the stream of falsehood spewed in the May 9 elections.

“We can start when students are very young,” Joseph Elvir Tubilan, Professor of Communication and Journalism and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in the state-run Cebu Normal University in Cebu City said.

Tubilan said the students could be taught what is disinformation, misinformation, and fake news at a very young age.

He said schools in Europe start teaching students at the elementary level how to spot misinformation and disinformation.

“Elementary schools should be the front line of the information war in the next few years,” Tubilan said.

Rechelle Barraquias, chairperson of the Development Communication Department in the Jesuit-run Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro, battles with her wits as she leads the discussion among her students on disinformation and misinformation.

“It is frustrating if you encounter students who can not distinguish between fact and disinformation,” Barraquias said.

The May 9 elections were marred by violence, vote-buying, and widespread disinformation according to an interim report by the International Observer Mission (IOM) sponsored by the International Coalition for Human rights in the Philippines.

Netnet Camomot of Lihok 22 Movement, a civil society watchdog said during the campaign period before the May 9 elections, they observed disinformation was spread through social media and text blasts by politicians maligning their opponents.

“It was largely (unchecked) in the local levels but it was more overwhelming in the race for the presidency,” Camomot said.

Camomot said TitTok, the short-video platform, was very influential to the young voters who made up more than half of the voter base in the country.

She said the other social media platforms — Facebook and YouTube — also appealed to the young voters.

“We have a young generation of voters who can not distinguish what is fact and what is fake. That is a problem,” Camomot said.

Barraquias said it used to be that students have a healthy discussion about their political ideas. Recent developments in the classrooms and virtual rooms, she said showed it is not.

She said the students have become more assertive about their political beliefs.

Barraquias blamed the algorithm of Facebook as one of the causes why students and the young are misled in their perceptions.

“Once Facebook sees your interests, it will suffocate you with feeds that the algorithm thinks you like,” Barraquias said. “The war is really on Facebook.”

She said journalism has also evolved, from being a one-way street where only media outlets can deliver news and information to people who have access to social media to express themselves.

“The problem is, it is easy to convey statements that ripple into disinformation,” Barraquias said.

Barraquias said in her communication classes, she conveys to her students the gift of discernment and understanding, and thinking critically.

“Media and information literacy is our antidote against disinformation,” she said.

Tubilan wants students to learn the ability of discernment, critical thinking, and understanding starting in elementary school.

“We should start at Grade One level and not only in private, religious institutions but also in public schools,” he said.

Tubilan said European countries that take the fight against disinformation seriously enough, teach it in the elementary schools.

He said elementary students are taught how easy to manipulate information in the arts, to lie in statistics and political propaganda.

“The goal is producing responsible citizens and voters,” Tubilan said. (This story is supported by a grant by Internews)