‘… Anne Curtis displayed, in my book, a huge amount of level-headedness that even I, admittedly, fail to apply at times, especially on sensitive or controversial issues which tug at my emotions.’
IS this real?” So asked superstar Anne Curtis in a Tweet when she shared a social media post alleging the deforestation of the Sierra Madre Mountain range, pointing to a mining operation in Isabela as the “culprit.”
I am intimately aware of that operation. That is why the viral post with the hashtag Save Sierra Madre caught my eye and made me smile. “Here we go again,” I told myself.
But Anne Curtis displayed, in my book, a huge amount of level-headedness that even I, admittedly, fail to apply at times, especially on sensitive or controversial issues which tug at my emotions. Like Donald Trump, I have to admit that oftentimes when I read something about Trump, I am so happy to share it without even taking the time to ask what Anne Curtis asks: “Is this real?” And so during those times that a friend calls me out for sharing a fake post, I do the right thing – I take it down.
But had I taken a moment to first ask “is this real?” then not only would I not need to take down anything; I would also have avoided sharing a blatant untruth that is picked up by others and shared, causing harm which at times can be irreparable.
The allegation is, as many allegations go, not accurate. Yes, there is a mining operation in Isabela’s Dinapigue town and yes, it is in the hunt for the all-important green metal called nickel that is a key component of the transition from fossil fuels to green energy. And yes, the operation is in an area that is part of the Sierra Madre Mountain range that stretches from Luzon’s eastern seaboard from Aurora northward to Cagayan province.
But the inaccuracy (many times intentional in socmed posts meant to stir controversy) is to imply that the mining operations are destroying the Sierra Madre range, which is a protected area. In reality, the mining operation was given all the ancestry permits by the government as early as 2007 (under a previous owner) because it is outside the Sierra Madre National Park.
The DENR (and its attached agencies) may have its shortcomings but these do not include wantonly permitting the destruction of our national parks. We need to give our regulators more credit, including the presumption of regularity in their actions.
But social media being what it is, Anne Curtis just showed me what we need to have in buckets – level-headedness – to prevent the spread of fake news, misinformation, or half-truths – about people, places, organizations, operations or whatever it is we feast on social media.
Is this real?
We need to ask ourselves this question more and more earnestly whenever we come across something that captures our attention or taps into our biases, before looking and sharing.
It’s what being a responsible citizen is all about in this day and age of social media – as Anne Curtis shows.
