COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW – 05/09/2018
Mathew Ingram
The connection between Facebook and the US election may get the bulk of the media’s attention when it comes to the social network’s misinformation problem, but the issue is even more of an immediate danger in other countries. Among the most recent examples is the Philippines, where president Rodrigo Duterte and his supporters have apparently used the network to attack their critics, including Senator Leila de Lima, according to a new report from BuzzFeed News. After a series of fake news stories touting trumped-up rumors about illicit sexual behavior and other indiscretions, De Lima was arrested on what some believe to be fabricated drug charges, and is now in prison.