Journalists expose disinformation machinery on Duterte’s ICC arrest

CHEERS TO Philstar.com, Inquirer.net, and Rappler for publishing in-depth reports that traced and analyzed the narratives surrounding former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC). While other media outlets did report on the arrest extensively, the three news organizations examined in detail the online propaganda that tried to discredit the ICC and frame Duterte as a victim. 

While Duterte supporters held on-ground protests, digital attacks targeted the ICC, its judges, and even the families of drug war victims. Disinformation focused on the legality of the arrest and related issues of the ICC’s jurisdiction. 

The online reports exposed the coordinated framework to spread disinformation, combing through social media to identify common and shared content of false claims and outright lies.

Coordinated Disinformation

Cristina Chi of Philstar.com revealed how in 12 hours, approximately 200 Facebook accounts and pages were running identical messages accusing law enforcers of abducting Duterte to deliver him to the ICC. Hours before Duterte’s family and lawyers claimed that Duterte’s arrest was a “kidnapping,” the same claim had already been posted on social media, all using the same text. 

Chi noted that the accounts involved were maintained by individual “content creators” and small digital companies. She pointed to the similarities between this disinformation campaign and previous propaganda operations used by Duterte strategists to influence public opinion in the past, such as in 2023 when pro-Duterte accounts amplified survey findings that placed Duterte as the top senatorial candidate. 

Chi also pointed to the greater social harm that such an intense barrage of disinformation can cause in the long term. She cited Regine Cabato, a Filipino journalist who had written about the lasting damage that disinformation can have on the “public and the ability of citizens to engage with complex issues based on facts.” 

Digital Propaganda

Rappler focused its reports on the efforts of Duterte supporters to manipulate public opinion. Gaby Baizas and Pauline Macaraeg of Rappler examined the narratives propagated, the strategies employed, and the impact of these efforts on public opinion.

For instance, Rappler in partnership with The Nerve, a data forensics company, traced the use of Facebook by Duterte supporters who boosted their following by coordinating shares with entertainment communities and fan pages. The report also found that the network tagged Duterte’s critics as communists or dilawan,

Facts not Lies

Meanwhile, Cristina Baclig of Inquirer.net expanded the individual format of fact-checking, compiling six false claims made about Duterte and promptly debunking each one. 

One example: Duterte’s supporters claimed that the ICC ignored the higher death toll caused by the drug war. The reason – the ICC would not be able to prove this in court. They argued that if thousands were indeed killed, the ICC would have cited them all in the warrant. This implied the weakness of the ICC’s case against Duterte. 

Baclig corrected the false claim: The ICC did not dismiss the larger number of deaths but instead focused on cases with strong evidence, credible witnesses, and clear command responsibility. The report said: “This is a standard legal approach in international cases to establish a consistent pattern of violence without overwhelming the court with thousands of separate cases. ICC documents, including the latest arrest warrant, explicitly acknowledge the broader scale of killings and confirm that they were both “widespread and systematic”—two key elements in proving crimes against humanity. . .” 

The reports of Philstar.com, Inquirer.net, and Rappler ran a fine-toothed comb through numerous accounts in social media to point to the threads of disinformation. It also presented ways to counter false statements and flawed arguments. These exemplified the use of journalistic methods to counter falsehood: With the false statements or claims; provide evidence of its falsehood or faulty logic by presenting documentary evidence, or citing credentialed sources with expert knowledge.  

In a period of polarized and divisive public discourse, journalists must be ready to counter disinformation, using language that is easy to understand and formats that appeal to a wider audience. Journalists must search for ways and means by which news can correct political lies.