Y2C launches Y2Con, holds fact-checking webinar

Incelebration of Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week, the Young Communicators’ Circle conducted a fact-checking webinar to launch the first episode of Y2Con, a monthly webinar series spearheaded by the academic organization, on October 27, 2022.

Ms. Nica Rhiana Hanopol, a journalist and factchecker at Vera Files, a media organization in the country that debunks and factchecks dubious claims, served as the speaker who discussed the various steps, and “red flags” of credibility and fact-checking of the current issues people see online.

Attended by communication students from the university via Zoom and Facebook live, the 2-hour lecture was filled with impactful topics, tips and ideas, including the basics of factchecking, mitigating misinformation, as well as the ability to identify suspicious claims on various media platforms.

“We are living in a society where information is found everywhere. This is why we sometimes experience information overload and forget to be critical with the information we consume,” said Leianne Zyra Calderon, Y2C Executive Chairperson, when asked about the relevance of the webinar.

Y2C intends to continue this type of endeavor in order to train individuals to be more vigilant in disseminating information to the public, as well as develop the talents and skills of students in different fields of communication through Y2Con.

Senior comm student claims 1st spot in city-wide photo contest

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte–Besting other photographers from the city, Jericho John Angeles, a 4thyear student from Bachelor of Arts in Communication of Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), bagged 1st place in the Shine Laoag Photo Contest on December 19, 2022.

With the theme “Shine Lao- ag! Day and Night,” Angeles captured a picture-perfect shot of the Gilbert Bridge. Angeles brought home 5,000 pesos cash and a trophy.

With a firstrunner-up placement in the contest’s last edition, Angele s vowed to break his own record by creating a champion-worthy game plan this year.

“Since I finished second last year, my game plan was to come up with a concept or idea that was novel to everyone. The photo I took was just taken seven hours before the deadline since I am too busy with my thesis paper, but I am glad that I still pushed myself to join the said competition,” Angeles told Y2C. The said photo contest was organized by the City Government of Laoag and the Laoag City Tourism Office.