[The Wide Shot] Tips for faith communities when Sara Duterte attacks truth and Truth

Even if classic journalism books have sought to define our profession, my favorite definition of journalism comes from a non-journalist. The late Pope Francis, in awarding two Vatican journalists in November 2021, offered a definition of journalism that I have since required my students to read and imbibe. “Journalism does not come about by choosing a profession, but by embarking on a mission, a little like a doctor, who studies and works so that the evil in the world may be healed,” Francis said in his 2021 speech. He continued: “Your mission is to explain the world, to make it less obscure, to make those who live in it less afraid of it and look at others with greater awareness, and also with more confidence. It is not an easy mission.” How did Francis get it right? It is all about truth. A bedrock of faith I believe that Francis understood the heart of journalism because it hews closely to the heart of every faith community’s mission: “to explain the world,” to ferret out the truth in a world of chaos. Truth is a bedrock of major religious traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam. When referring to it in a religious sense, we even capitalize the word “Truth” to emphasize that it is sacred, ultimate, and even divine — another name for God, at least in monotheistic traditions. In the Bible, Jesus declares, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Buddhists also hold truth in high regard, with the “Four Noble Truths” forming the core of the Buddha’s teachings. The same is the case in Islam, where one of the names of Allah is Al-Haqq, which means “The Truth.” This means that journalistic truth-telling is not only a distant cousin of faith; it is one of its offspring. An attack on truth is an attack on faith. So I hope religious leaders were listening when Vice President Sara Duterte, speaking to her family’s supporters in The Hague, launched yet another attack on the country’s truth-tellers. Duterte claimed the quality of Philippine journalism falls below international standards and that “social media” is doing a better job than Filipino journalists. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines called out the comment as an attack on a free press. “By denigrating Philippine media, Sara is unleashing one of the tactics straight out of a dictator’s playbook: controlling information by demonizing the independent press and weaponizing social media for her propaganda,” said the NUJP in a statement on August 2. Discernment of spirits Much has been said about how populist attacks on the press can weaken democracy, as we have seen in the Philippines and the United States. I hope, however, that people of faith will also realize how such attacks erode our capacity to distinguish fact from fiction and, ultimately, right from wrong. The Jesuits, following their founder Saint Ignatius of Loyola, have a practice called the “discernment of spirits.” In this spiritual practice, a person examines his or her feelings — what brings consolation or desolation, or what comes from “good spirits” or “evil spirits” — to more clearly understand God’s will. It is, in a theological sense, a way of approaching the Truth who is Christ. This skill of discernment does not come about by beholding a glorious apparition from heaven, but by exercising logic and emotional mastery on a day-to-day basis. Developing this skill is like bodybuilding; we do it block by block, muscle by muscle, in all things grand and mundane. What happens to this spiritual skill if we impair our ability to discern the things of the earth? If one easily falls for a fake Senate statement, how can one be an expert in interpreting biblical texts? If one subscribes to AI-generated health tips that go viral on Facebook, how can one recognize a vaccine as life-saving science rather than “the mark of the beast”? If one gives full assent to just any influencer, how can one avoid falling for a “Son of God” like Apollo Quiboloy? In our context as Asia’s biggest Christian-majority nation, how can one claim to seek Jesus, “the Way and the Truth and the Life,” while choosing peddlers of lies over journalistic truth-tellers? Tips for faith communities Following Duterte’s new tirade against journalists, I asked veteran journalist Inday Espina-Varona about her thoughts on the role of the Catholic Church in countering attacks against the press. She pointed to the need for media literacy, especially among the youth, at the parish level. I did my own reflection and listed tips that faith-based groups can consider: 1. Religious leaders, first of all, should be more discerning about their media diet. It will help if they fast from social media for a time and reexamine their sources of information. If people can be picky about clothing brands, why not about the news we consume? It will also help if they bring the matter to prayer. 2. Faith communities can hold media literacy sessions for their members, especially the youth. They can organize briefings with journalists or subscribe to structured media literacy programs offered by media groups such as Rappler. The media landscape can be confusing even for industry veterans. We need the help of experts in our parishes, mosques, and congregations. 3. Churches can consider turning fact-checking into a full-fledged ministry, in the same way that parishes have volunteers focusing on the environment or social justice. Or they can add fact-checking to the job description for social communications teams, in addition to their usual tasks of taking photos and videos of church events. 4. Faith communities can leverage the strengths of members to build what Lesmore Ezekiel, a Lutheran minister in Nigeria, calls “communities of meaning” — similar to #FactsFirstPH in the Philippines. Ezekiel said in a webinar in 2023: “All the expertise and competencies are within the church. How are we using them to fact check and all of those things?” People of faith should realize that media literacy, in this age of disinformation, is not merely an aid to a more informed politics. It is, more than this, a part of our moral responsibility. In the face of populists building kingdoms of falsehood, journalists and religious groups share the heart of the fight for truth. – Rappler.com Paterno R. Esmaquel II is a journalist specializing in religion and public life. A former Rappler reporter and news editor, he now writes for international Catholic news outlets, teaches journalism at the University of Santo Tomas, and runs a YouTube channel called The Religion Reporter.