senseneres: CRITICAL THINKING VERSUS FAKE NEWS

CRITICAL THINKING VERSUS FAKE NEWS

When my former Political Science professor at UP, Dr. Clarita Carlos, urged us not only to ask who, what, when, and how — but also why and so what — she was calling for more than curiosity. She was championing critical thinking. And in today’s age of fake news, deepfakes, and AI-manipulated media, that kind of thinking isn’t just useful. It’s essential.

What Is Critical Thinking, Really?

Critical thinking is more than just asking questions. It’s a disciplined process: analyzing facts, weighing evidence and arguments, and forming judgments rooted in reason, not bias or emotion. It’s a skill set — logical reasoning, evaluating sources, solving problems — combined with a disposition — open-mindedness, skepticism, reflective inquiry. The goal? To arrive at sound conclusions and to make informed choices.

This is not abstract philosophy: it’s arguably the armor our students need in a world saturated with manipulated content.

The Threat of Fake News and Deepfakes

Lately, I’ve been seeing warnings in my Viber groups — AI-generated videos and voice clips that feel real, but are entirely synthetic. These deepfakes are not just harmless pranks: they can influence public opinion, mislead citizens, and even sway election outcomes.

And the data supports this fear. Trend Micro has cautioned Filipinos that as we head into the coming elections, “anyone can produce deepfakes just by grabbing a photo … to make someone appear to do or say something they never did.” The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) itself is considering a ban on deepfakes and AI in campaign materials, warning that malicious use undermines election integrity.

Tsek.ph, a fact-checking coalition, documented nearly a dozen likely deepfakes during the campaign season — from endorsements using fake voices to composite avatars of public figures. In some cases, 45% of the conversation around election candidates on social media was driven by inauthentic or coordinated accounts.

Why Critical Thinking Matters More Than Ever

When deepfakes proliferate, asking who made this? or how was it made? is no longer sufficient. We must also ask:

Why did someone create this video? Is it propaganda? A political smear?
So what if people believe it — what are the social, political, or institutional consequences?

Critical thinking empowers us to interrogate not just the source of information, but its purpose and impact. It means recognizing emotional appeals, checking assumptions, demanding evidence, and reflecting on bias — both ours and the creator’s.

But — Can We Detect Deepfakes?

Yes, to some extent. Detection tools are advancing. Some use sophisticated AI to spot inconsistencies in pixels, voice patterns, or even subtle physiological clues. Intel, for example, developed a platform called FakeCatcher that analyzes blood flow changes in video pixels to detect fakes. Researchers are also building watermarking technologies and proactive detection frameworks.

Still, detection is not a silver bullet. As technology evolves, so do the tools of deception. And that’s where education becomes our first line of defense.

Teaching Critical Thinking in Practice

So how do we embed this in our schools?

Media Literacy: Teach students to evaluate sources, differentiate fact from opinion, and verify before sharing. UNESCO, for instance, warns that many content creators do not fact-check before posting — pointing to the urgent need for training.
Reflective Inquiry: Ask students to regularly play “why” and “so what” when surveying any piece of content.
Civic Resilience: Encourage participatory spaces (like barangay discussions) where citizens practice these skills together — building a community immune system against disinformation.

Dr. Carlos’s words keep ringing in my mind. If we only teach students who said it, when they said it, and how they said it — we stop short. We give them the tools to identify an image or a clip, but not necessarily the capacity to resist manipulation. By encouraging why and so what — by nurturing critical thinking — we prepare our students not just to recognize fake news, but to challenge its power and to demand better from their democracy.

In the fight against AI-driven falsehoods, critical thinking isn’t just a skill. It’s our strongest weapon.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

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