A group of social media practitioners, including vloggers, “tiktokers” and infotainers, wants to help in the government’s battle against graft and corruption.
Dr. Michael Raymond Aragon, founding chair of the Kapisanan ng Social Media Broadcasters ng Pilipinas Inc., reacted to a statement of opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros saying she was hoping that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would include in his first State-of-the-Nation Address the issue of corruption.
“… the KSMBPI would like to offer our sincere help to the new President for him to be able to effectively address this issue of corruption in government,” Aragon said.
“Our humble and simple idea of fighting the social cancer of corruption in government is based on the strategy of developing a very strong fourth estate in the pillars of our democracy,” he added.
While the mass media is a “proactive” fourth estate that can act as an effective fiscalizers or vanguards against corruption, it has only its own share of problem, he cited.
“We offer to train thousands, if not millions of community journalists or reporters nationwide, down to the barangay level of our society and develop them as an effective private sector watchdog for good governance in our democracy,” Aragon said.
He expressed belief that corrupt a government official could not afford to buy out millions of accredited social media practitioners, including community broadcast and print journalists, vloggers, infotainers, tiktokers and online streamers.
Andy Vital, a veteran broadcast journalist and KSMBPI president, said “our organization was founded in 2017 primarily to fight fake news by educating social media practitioners in the proper way of a righteous reporter or broadcaster” after a seven-day online training course.
“How to be a ‘Social Media Broadcaster in 7 Days using your Smartphone’ is offered free of charge to those qualified and interested to serve our country and people,” he added.
