Ormoc city: The Department of Education (DepEd) has urged campus journalists to uphold truth and lead in fact-checking amid the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in the evolving media landscape. DepEd made the call as it officially opened the 2026 National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) in Ormoc City on Monday.
According to Philippines News Agency, DepEd Undersecretary for Learning Systems Strand Carmela Oracion, in her speech, called on young campus journalists to pursue responsible journalism to help combat misinformation and disinformation. "Now more than ever, the role of the student-journalist is vital, for they are called to lead in fact-checking and to stand as defenders of verified, credible, and truthful information for the public," she emphasized.
Broadcast journalist and keynote speaker Atom Araullo also highlighted the limitations of emerging technologies. He remarked, "AI can generate content, but it cannot pursue the truth." Araullo further stated, "Ang journalism ay hindi isang competition. Ito ay isang serbisyo. Kapag may sakuna, may eleksyon, may katiwalian, kailangan may magsabi ng totoo (Journalism is not competition. It's a service. When there are disasters, elections, corruption, there should be truth-bearers)."
More than 3,400 delegates from 18 regions across the nation are participating in this year's NSPC. The conference, themed 'Mapanuri, Mapanindigan, at Mapanagutang Pamamahayag,' will feature national competitions in writing, visual journalism, broadcast, and multimedia.
The events will cater to both elementary and secondary categories, encompassing news, feature, editorial, sports, science and technology, and column writing. It also includes activities like copy editing and headline writing, photojournalism, editorial cartooning, radio and television broadcasting, online publishing, and mobile journalism.
