EllenTordesillas

Investigative journalist Ellen Tordesillas co-founded the nonprofit Vera Files in 2008, to provide fact-checking and analysis of Philippine political issues under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. She and her team of Filipino journalists impart the importance of separating facts from misinformation and disinformation online, which has become especially significant as political misinformation becomes part and parcel of online life in the Philippines. Since 2018, looking to stem rampant disinformation on its platform, Facebook has partnered with Vera Files and news organization Rappler as third-party fact-checkers, explained by Tordesillas as an effort to “reduce falsehoods on social media and help create an informed citizenry — a vital component of democracy.”