Democracy at Stake: How media battles the disinformation phenomenon

Join the School of Journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University for a special talk with Philippine ABS-CBN news correspondent and McLuhan Award for Investigative Journalism, Christian Esguerra. Esguerra will present the topic: "Democracy at Stake: How media battles the disinformation phenomenon" in which he discusses the nature of the disinformation phenomenon in the Philippines, how it affects the country’s democratic processes, and how media and stakeholders counter threats to the propagation of lies and truth-telling. His presentation will discuss the question: “In a time when truth and historical facts are being compromised, how can the media help in minimizing the threats and propagation of disinformation?”

This event is presented by the St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, in conjunction with the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines and the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Journalism, and generously supported by the McLuhan Foundation.

The event is free and open to the public. You are encouraged to register (link above).

More about Christian Esguerra:

The incumbent Marshall McLuhan Fellow is Christian Esguerra, political journalist, multimedia anchor, and journalism educator. Mr. Esguerra hosts a popular online political talk show tackling burning issues on politics and governance, and is devoted to advocacy combating disinformation. He is the former anchor and managing editor of the hard-hitting political talk program, “After the Fact,” on the ABS-CBN News Channel, an 24/7 English-language channel in the Philippines.

He began his career as a reporter with the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 2000 then joined ABS-CBN as a news correspondent and anchor in 2015. He teaches political reporting and journalism ethics at the University of Santo Tomas where he is also a researcher at its Research Center for Culture, Arts, and Humanities.

He was awarded the Marshall McLuhan Fellowship in 2020. In 2019, he received the Award of Distinction from the Manila-based Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, and the Titus Brandsma Award for Emergent Leadership in Journalism.