Communication, Technology, Truth: The 3rd Jose “Totoy" Avellana Memorial Lecture

The Department of Communication is pleased to invite you to the 3rd Jose “Totoy" Avellana Memorial Lecture entitled Communication, Technology, Truth. This lecture invites critical reflection on our current communication landscape: how we use digital media; and how they have been harnessed to present fact as fiction and fiction as fact. It offers avenues of action through which we may reclaim our media and engage the struggle for seeking truth.

Hosted by Pia Hontiveros, we will bring together experts from the fields of political communication, digital media, and journalism. There will be two panels to flesh out how digital media technologies are used to hinder the truth and how we can act on it. The first panel will focus on discussing issues in digital media and truth, while the second panel will explore how we could fight for truth amidst rampant trolling, misinformation, and disinformation networks.

Panel 1: Discussing digital media and truth (issues to be discussed are trolling, misinformation, disinformation networks)

1. John Nery  - Columnist and Editorial Consultant of Rappler
2. Jose Mari Lanuza – Assistant Professor Lanuza is teaching Political Science at UP Manila. He has done recent research on disinformation in understudied digital platforms.
3. Dr Cheryll Ruth Soriano – Dr Soriano is a professor at De La Salle University teaching Communication and Media. Her research interests include digital cultures and inequalities.

Panel 2: What can we do? How can we rescue truth, fight for truth

1. Atty Antonio La Viña – Atty La Viña teaches in several universities, including Ateneo de Manila. He teaches law, philosophy, governance, and politics, among others.
2. Yvonne Chua – Ms Chua is among the convenors of the Tsek.ph, a collaborative fact-checking initiative in the country.
3. Bernice Soriano – Ms Soriano is a Project Coordinator of the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA). As stated on their page, FMA aims to help citizens and communities with strategic and appropriate use of the various information and communications media for democratization and popular empowerment.

The lecture will make use of a coffee-talk type of discussion—casual but informative—and you are invited to join in virtually!

So ready your coffee, and join us on March 26 (Saturday), 9:00am-12:00nn. Register now through go.ateneo.edu/avellana2022registration.

There are limited Zoom slots, but the program will be streamed live via Ateneo de Manila University's YouTube Channel (go.ateneo.edu/avellana2022). There will also be a backstage livestreaming of the event via the Department of Communication Facebook page (https://web.facebook.com/ateneocomm).

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