Whether in the name of nationalism or preserving public appearances, Burmese, Filipino and Cambodian government leaders have all directly referenced “fake news” or “alternative facts” since the U.S. president’s inauguration.
“Duterte Diehard Supporters” and the Philippines’ fake news machine: ,
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte may be criticized abroad for his harsh drug campaign. But within the nation, government leaders and a fervent base of online supporters work tirelessly to cover this image and spread fabricated praise for Duterte from other world leaders. Allies of the Duterte government have described the thousands of killings for suspected drug use to the international community as “alternative facts."
Acclaimed journalists and opinion writers at the Manila Times have even propagated false reports that U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley endorsed Duterte’s presidency and told the international community to end its interventions. While Philippine leaders spin their own fake news narrative, they encourage and support fiery online groups in their attacks against those critical of the government.
A group of nationalist fans called the Duterte Diehard Supporters—using the same acronym as the vigilante drug enforcer group Davao Death Squad—roll out dozens of articles and videos lauding Duterte’s leadership.
Another pro-government online group, the Duterte Cyber Warriors, collects the names of Facebook users who criticize the government and name them purveyors of false information. Their crowd sourced complaints have pushed Facebook to suspend the accounts of television anchor Ed Lingao and The Philippine Daily, which was taken down by the social network three times.
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