The UP Diliman (UPD) College of Mass Communication (CMC) takes to social media in its effort to counter online misinformation regarding Martial Law (ML) with a TikTok challenge in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the declaration of ML.
Tugon at Tindig: Martial Law Memorial TikTok Challenge was launched on Sept. 14, 2 p.m. via Zoom and is available on YouTube.
The contest is open to all currently enrolled undergraduate students of the UP System and currently enrolled students in Grades 11 and 12 of the UP Integrated School.
The entry may be in the form of a song, dance, narrative, or skit.
Entries must be set to “public,” and must feature a minimum of 30 seconds and a maximum of two minutes, in full high definition (1080 x 1920 pixel resolution), contain the hashtags #UPML50 #CMCChallenge, and revolve around the ML historical memory theme Manindigan sa katotohanan, itanghal ang katarungan.
The contents can be of any kind—serious or funny. These must also be based on historical facts. According to the organizers, the one exception is satire, which is immediately disqualified as it “can be misconstrued and contribute to disinformation.”
Challengers may submit a maximum of three entries. They are also responsible for gaining permission should they use copyrighted materials for their entries.
Entries will be judged according to the following criteria: creativity (50%), factuality or historical accuracy (30%), and engagement or potential to contribute to the conversation (20%).
According to project head Rachel Khan, PhD, a professor of journalism at the CMC, a committee from the CMC will pre-screen all entries for historical factuality before they are given to a panel of judges composed of industry professionals.
Entries may be submitted through this link.
Up for grabs are several prizes. The Best TikTok, worth P10,000 will be given to the entry that obtains the highest judging score. Runners-up will receive P5,000 each while 10 finalists will each receive P2,500. The biggest cash prize is P20,000 for Top Content Creator.
CMC Dean Fernando Paragas said TikTok has emerged as the public’s crucial go-to social media platform for information on ML.
And with the 50th anniversary of its declaration this year, the CMC foresaw a rise in interest in the topic and was moved to create a source of accurate information on TikTok.
“Bilang mga iskolar ng bayan, gampanan natin na kausapin ang mga kababayan natin kung nasaan man sila,” he said.
Also present at the launch were Nick Deocampo, a filmmaker, historian, and associate professor at the UPD Film Institute and Ma. Diosa Labiste, PhD, an associate professor of journalism at the CMC Department of Journalism.
Deocampo spoke about the rhizomatic and egalitarian nature of TikTok while Labiste spoke about the importance of remembering the ML years, especially on platforms such as TikTok.
The TikTok challenge will run from Sept. 14 to 30. The winners will be announced on Oct. 17, 2 p.m.
The competition is part of the month-long ML@50: Tugon at Tindig ng Sining, a festival organized by the UPD Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the declaration of ML.