A TikTok president for the Philippines
After decades out of power in the Philippines, the Marcos family is on the verge of winning the presidency. We examine how social media played a crucial role in whitewashing their past.
Headlines From The Times · Gustavo Arellano, Denise Guerra, Shannon Lin, Kasia Broussalian, Ashlea Brown, Angel Carreras, David Toledo, Mario Diaz, Mark Nieto, Kinsee Morlan, Jazmín Aguilera, Shani O. Hilton, Madalyn Amato, Carlos De Loera
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Show Notes
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has been campaigning to become the next president of the Philippines via the power of TikTok and other social media. And Bongbong’s whitewashing of his family’s violent past has him on the cusp of victory.
Today we go to the Philippines, where the presidential election is taking place next week. And we talk about how social media disinformation, yet again, might put a populist onto the global stage of power. Read the transcript.
Host: Gustavo Arellano
Guests: L.A. Times Asia correspondent David Pierson
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