Sophia Buenavidez 

Four in 10 Filipinos say they are highly interested in local news, the highest rate among Southeast Asian countries, according to the latest Digital News Report released by the Reuters Institute on June 19.


Despite 39 percent of Filipinos saying they are "extremely" or "very" interested in local news, a growing number are turning to social media over traditional media outlets for their news consumption.

However, at least 50 percent said they prefer getting political and governance news through social media, compared to just 37 percent who rely on print or online news outlets.

Facebook ranked as the top source of encountered disinformation at 68 percent, followed by TikTok at 48 percent, YouTube at 39 percent, and X (formerly Twitter) at 27 percent.

News websites came in fifth, cited by only 22 percent of respondents as a source of disinformation, 45 percentage points behind Facebook.

A separate study by the same institute, released on June 17, noted a record-high 67 percent of Filipinos expressing concern over online misinformation and disinformation.

Impeachment efforts against Vice President Sara Duterte were linked as one of the main concerns with mis- and disinformation, along with other recent political events such as the midterm elections and the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court.

Earlier this year, the National Bureau of Investigation Director Judge Jaime Santiago stressed the importance of distinguishing between false information and factual information by identifying primary and secondary sources.

“Those who watch videos are responsible for knowing whether to share these or not to others to prevent the spread of fake information,” he said in an interview with ANC 24/7 last August 23.

In terms of emerging news technology, 35 percent of Filipinos said they prefer news written by journalists with the aid of artificial intelligence.

This figure is 14 percentage points higher than those comfortable with news content primarily generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Traditional platforms still have a role, with 17 percent of Filipinos tuning in to the radio, 13 percent reading print newspapers, and 12 percent listening to news podcasts produced by leading media outlets.