In 2013, Facebook paired 
with internet providers in 
the Philippines and allowed 
citizens to access Facebook 
for free. Alba said about 
two-thirds of citizens have 
internet access, and 99% 
of users have a Facebook 
account. But during the 2016 
presidential election in the 
Philippines, Alba began to 
notice a change in the way 
people in her home country 
used Facebook. 
“It started to shift when 
the presidential election in 
the Philippines was getting 
underway, from just like 
cute cat videos, to this really 
extreme 
rhetoric 
backing 
certain candidates that had 
really aggressive platforms 
like Duterte, who had a law 
and order platform that he 
used to promote what he 
said was the way to solve the 
country’s problems, which 
were a war on drugs,” Alba 
said.
The Duterte campaign used 
social 
media 
influencers, 
blatant 
disinformation 
campaigns and general fear 
regarding 
drugs 
to 
gain 
support across the country, 
Alba said. After Duterte was 
elected, he continued with 
the disinformation campaign 
to fuel his war on drugs, 
which Alba described as a 
human rights violation. Alba 
said each of these issues 
was a focus point for her 
journalistic work.
“When I was conceiving of 
this story, I wanted the drug 
war to be part of the story 
because I wanted to connect 
the 
human 
consequences 
of Facebook’s platform to 
the drug war, and just show 
that it’s not just algorithms 

operating in the void and 
changing people’s opinions, 
but the cost of disinformation 
is 
sometimes 
an 
actual 
human death toll,” Alba said.
The larger consequences 
of this issue struck Alba, who 
emphasized the fact that 
the dominance of certain 
social media platforms and 
new 
sources 
could 
limit 
what information people are 
exposed to. 
“Facebook is all about the 
world (media) domination,” 
Alba said. “They obviously 
started in the U.S., but really, 
really quickly their ambitions 
grew 
to 
an 
international 
scale, and the Philippines, 
this country that was very 
ripe to be a testing ground 
for what a Facebook country 
could look like.”
A similar disinformation 
campaign to the one that 
occurred in the Philippines 
in 2016 happened in the 
U.S. just six months later, 
during the U.S. presidential 
election. However, according 
to panelist Ceren Budak, a 
researcher who studies the 
diffusion of information on 
social media, the situation 
in the U.S. was different 
from the Philippines. Most 
private citizens in the U.S. 
have wide internet access, 
and much of the population 
still got their news from 
the 
mainstream 
media, 
rather 
than 
from 
social 
media. However, as Budak 
pointed out, Americans have 
different 
laws 
regarding 
how candidates can contact 
citizens on social media. 
“That’s one of the things 
that we care about in the 
U.S., is the personalization 
of information where the 
political elite can reach out 
to particular people and give 
them a very narrow message, 
and there is no accountability 
for that,” Budak said.

Budak 
explained 
how 
users get their information 
on social media and said the 
algorithms tend to expose 
users to what they already 
want to hear. 
Calling social media an 
“echo chamber,” Budak said 
it’s 
important 
for 
people 
to 
expose 
themselves 
to 
different 
sources 
of 
information. 
She 
stressed 
that people have to carefully 
choose what news they pay 
attention to. 
“From 
research, 
once 
something is out there it is 
really hard to stop,” Budak 
said, “So it is important to 
be able to stop sharing, don’t 

do it right away, just give 
yourself a couple of minutes 
before you share something.”
Alba 
and 
Budak 
both 
agreed the issue of social 
media disinformation is not 
an easy one to solve. Because 
the problem is both social 
and technological, multiple 
steps are required to fix 
the issue. According to the 
panelists, however, solutions 
include creating proactive 
policy, getting individuals 
to 
purposefully 
expose 
themselves 
to 
different 
ideas, 
targeting 
domestic 
disinformation 
creators 
and cutting off the revenue 
sources to the people who 

spread disinformation.
The issue of disinformation 
has played a role in several 
contemporary 
political 
issues. According to LSA 
junior Jackson Hawkins, the 
events in the Philippines 
have worldwide relevance.
“I 
thought 
this 
was 
really 
interesting 
because 
even 
though 
this 
was 
about the Philippines the 
same thing happens in the 
U.S.,” 
Hawkins 
said. 
“I 
really liked the solutions 
that they offered, such as 
disincentivizing advertising 
and disinformation.”
Alba concluded the event 
with thoughts on her home 

country 
and 
how 
social 
media 
disinformation 
has 
continued to be an ongoing 
problem across the world. 
“With this stuff happening 
before the U.S. election and 
the same stuff happening 
during the U.S. election, it 
felt like the platforms being 
American-centric companies 
instigated 
the 
move 
to 
scrutinize these platforms 
and 
the 
power 
of 
these 
platforms,” 
Alba 
said. 
“I 
really wish this didn’t have to 
go that far and that they had 
looked at it even when it was 
going on in the Philippines.”

In 
relation 
to 
federal 
inactivity, Meeker explained 
the risk assessment process 
and how it relates to water 
contamination 
research. 
The process involves three 
steps: 
hazard 
identification, 
dose-response and exposure 
assessment. 
He 
particularly 
criticized how the United States 
addresses hazard identification, 
treating chemicals as “innocent 
until proven guilty.” 
Charlotte Jameson, program 
director 
of 
Energy 
and 
Drinking Water Policy and 
Legislative Affairs for Michigan 
Environmental 
Council, 
described the passive way the 
nation deals with hazardous 
chemicals, noting the difficulty 
of having such a large number 
of 
potentially 
dangerous 
chemicals in existence.
“In the U.S., we do not 
follow precautionary principles 
when it comes to chemicals of 
concern,” Jameson said. “You 
and I, we’re all guinea pigs for 
toxic chemicals, and there are 
thousands of them that are 
in commercial products right 
now that we don’t have sound 
information on.”
Environment 
and 
Sustainability graduate student 
Colin Welk is currently taking 
EAS 558: Water Policy and 
Politics, a class taught by 
Hughes. 
“It 
seems 
like 
this 
is 

definitely the next area in 
water policy,” Welk said. “I’m 
interested to learn more about 
contaminants and how they’re 
regulated.”
According to panelist Eric 
Oswald, director of the Drinking 
Water 
and 
Environmental 
Health 
Division 
of 
the 
Michigan EGLE Department, 
Ann Arbor has a well-funded 
and 
well-managed 
drinking 
water system. However, most 
other systems in the state don’t 
have the funds to follow in Ann 
Arbor’s footsteps, and even with 
the changes made, Ann Arbor is 
still far from contaminant-free. 
The event ended with a Q&A 
session 
with 
the 
panelists. 
Attendees 
asked 
about 
the 
quantitative 
measures 
of 
sources 
of 
contaminants, 
the feasibility of other cities 
making the changes Ann Arbor 
has and which contaminants 
citizens should be focused on. 
The 
final 
question 
inquired which other states, 
municipalities 
or 
utility 
districts the panelists thought 
were 
leading 
the 
change. 
According to the panelists, on 
the state level, it was Michigan.
In 
the 
closing 
remarks, 
Public Policy graduate student 
James 
VanSteel, 
acting 
president of the Environmental 
Policy 
Association 
and 
mediator for this event, and the 
panelists encouraged citizens 
to leave public comments on 
the Michigan Environmental 
Council website. 

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Thursday, January 30, 2020 — 3A

CONTAMINANTS
From Page 1A

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From Page 1A

“Tomorrow I will ask the State 
Transportation Commission to 
issue state road bonds so we can 
start fixing the roads,” Whitmer 
said. “Since it does not require 
the legislature to act, we can 
get started right away. That’s 
important.”
Whitmer 
reflected 
on 
progress 
made 
in 
2019, 
mentioning 
bipartisan 
legislation that decreased the 
cost of car insurance after six 
years of Michigan having the 
highest auto insurance rates in 
the nation. She also highlighted 
collaboration with Secretary of 
State Jocelyn Benson to launch 
redistricting efforts, criminal 
justice reform and the creation 
of the environmental justice 
advisory council. 
Whitmer 
detailed 
these 
accomplishments 
and 
tied 
them back to the importance of 
upholding Michigan’s diversity 
of 
thought, 
despite 
tension 
between 
political 
parties 
stemming from the national 
level. 
“These 
firsts 
honor 
the 
beautiful 
diversity 
that 
is 
Michigan,” 
Whitmer 
said. 
“Unfortunately, we’ve also seen 
an uptick in hateful, harmful 
language 
in 
Michigan 
and 
across the country. A lot of it 
starts in Washington, D.C., and 
now it feels like it can work its 
way to Lansing. Whether it’s 
misogyny in the workplace, or 
threats of violence online, this is 
unacceptable. Let’s debate. Let’s 
disagree. But then, let everyone 
in this room live up to our 
responsibility to stand up to hate 
and 
harassment. 
Remember 
that our children are watching. 
In Michigan, diversity is our 
strength.” 
Whitmer then moved to her 
next point of discussion — jobs. 
Though Michigan has boasted 
10 years of economic growth, 
Whitmer 
said 
underskilled 
and 
overtime 
workers 
are 
still struggling to get ahead. 
Presenting her policies as part 
of the solution, she highlighted 
investment in the auto industry 
and 
collaboration 
with 
the 
Canadian 
government 
to 
construct the Gordie Howe 
International Bridge, a project 
which is projected to bring in 
thousands of jobs. 
Alongside the creation of new 
jobs, Whitmer emphasized job 
security and worker rights as 
integral to creating a healthy 

workforce. To solve this, she has 
worked with the Department 
of 
Labor 
and 
Economic 
Opportunity to expand the right 
to overtime pay and cracked 
down on company regulation to 
pay employees. 
“We should be able to take 
time off when our kids are born 
and afford childcare when we 
are ready to go back to work. We 
need employers who invest in 
a strong workforce,” Whitmer 
said. “When I was growing up if 
you worked more than 40 hours 
a week you were paid over. It 
was that simple. It should still be 
that simple.” 
Whitmer then transitioned 
to the topic of education. She 
mentioned Michigan’s ranking 
at the bottom 10 states for overall 
literacy, and highlighted efforts 
to make pre-K universal for 
districts where test scores are 
low and providing better access 
to childcare. Expanding on 
this, she advocated for literacy 
coaches 
and 
organization 
partnerships in communities to 
help families navigate reading 
laws enacted by her predecessor 
Gov. Rick Snyder, and continue 
support through middle and 
high school by equitably funding 
schools.
“We can get ahead of this 
problem if we start early, but 
our work cannot stop with early 
literacy,” Whitmer said. “All 
Michigan students should have 
the opportunity to go to properly 
funded schools. The one-size-
fits-all approach does not work. 
Any teacher can tell you that 
every student has potential, 
but their needs are often very 
different. This year, together, we 
move forward with an equitable 
funding formula.”
Whitmer’s final topic of the 
evening centered on affordable 
health care. She said while 
Michigan expanded Medicaid 
to cover more than 600,000 
Michiganders in 2014, many 
residents 
still 
lack 
access 
because of a lack of insurance. 
She emphasized the importance 
of the Affordable Care Act to 
protect 
Michigan 
residents, 
highlighting 
an 
effort 
to 
eliminate disparities in the care 
of people of color, extending 
mental 
health 
services 
and 
addressing the opioid crisis. 
“So here is the bottom line: 
the health of our state is only 
as good as the health of our 
residents,” Whitmer said. “I 
want to end where I began. 
Impatience is a virtue. Sure, it’s 
good to be patient when you’re 
waiting in the line of the grocery 

store, or when you are a Lions 
fan. But not now. Not when 
people’s lives and livelihoods are 
at stake.”
In addition to these main 
topics, Whitmer promised a 
Thursday follow-up on topics of 
climate change and protection of 
Michigan’s water in the coming 
weeks, addressing the issue 
of PFAS and rising lake levels’ 
impact on tourism, agriculture 
and infrastructure. 
State 
Rep. 
Yousef 
Rabhi, 
D-Ann Arbor, echoed the policy 
points in Whitmer’s address and 
the importance of her specific 
focus on the lives of working-
class Michiganders, whether 
that be through the scope of job 
security, health care or roads. 
According to Rabhi, it was a 
notable shift in topics from 
those addressed during Snyder’s 
administration. 
“She highlighted a bunch of the 
stuff that her administration is 
working on, but what I also liked 
is that she highlighted specific 
things that she is working with 
the House Democratic caucus on 
as well, that there are really cool 
initiatives that we’re all working 
together on to actually help 
move our state forward,” Rabhi 
said. “Policies that are very 
focused on everyday working 
Michiganders and fighting for 
working-class people, that is 
exactly the kind of stuff that I 
was hoping she’d talk about, and 
I’m really glad she touched on 
those things because we didn’t 
hear that for the last eight years 
from our Republican governor.”
Rabhi 
further 
commented 
on 
the 
division 
between 
Republicans and Democrats in 
Lansing, despite his belief that 
these should be universally 
supported issues. 
“There was a very sharp 
division on the floor in terms of 
when she talked about that kind 
of stuff,” Rabhi said. “And many 
of the points that she made, we 
stood up, the Democrats stood 
up and said, ‘Yes, we support 
workers’ rights, we support 
what you’re saying about that.’ 
And the Republicans just didn’t. 
And 
it 
wasn’t 
controversial 
issues, we’re just trying to 
fight for everyday working-
class Michiganders and make 
sure that people aren’t getting 
defrauded 
by 
employers, 
and that’s not something the 
Republicans can even stand up 
and support.”
Rabhi echoed the importance 
of the topics discussed and 
emphasized the need for further 
discussion regarding clean water 

contamination as a problem that 
is plaguing Michigan’s most 
valuable resource in all corners 
of the state. He mentioned his 
role in prioritizing clean water 
on the administration’s agenda, 
and noted green ooze that was 
discovered along a highway in 
southeast Michigan.
“Obviously with this green 
ooze in Oakland County, what 
I like to say, and what I think 
is true, is that every single state 
house district has a version of the 
green ooze,” Rabhi said. “In Ann 
Arbor, it’s PFAS, it’s dioxane, 
and we all have a massive 
contamination problem in our 
state, which is why we need laws 
like the one I introduced last 
year to make polluters pay to 
clean up their messes. And that’s 
a conversation that we need to 
continue to have, and highlight 
in the state because we also 
deserve to have clean water.”
The 
Republican 
response 
to 
Whitmer’s 
address, 
however, was far more critical. 
Laura Cox, chairman of the 
Michigan 
Republican 
Party, 
said 
Whitmer’s 
message 
of 
bipartisanship was far from 
the reality of her past year as 
governor.
“Tonight’s 
address 
is 
yet 
another reminder of Gretchen 
Whitmer’s failed first year as 
governor, and even more of 
the same empty promises for 
the future,” Cox said. “Instead 
of committing to work with 
Republicans to find common 
sense solutions to Michigan’s 
problems, Governor Whitmer 
made it clear that she’ll go it 
alone without the legislature if 
they don’t agree with her tax and 
spend policies. From her support 
for impeachment and Medicare-
for-all, and her unrealistic road 
proposal that raises taxes on 
hardworking Michiganders — 
Whitmer has proved that she 
is no different than the same 
out-of-touch liberal Democrats 
determined to sabotage the 
American dream.”
Next week, Whitmer will be 
one of two Democrats, alongside 
Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, 
who will deliver the Democratic 
rebuttal to President Trump’s 
State of the Union address. 
Her selection to deliver the 
rebuttal follows Speaker Nancy 
Pelosi’s praising of Whitmer’s 
progressive 
policies 
in 
Michigan, and national attention 
as a possible running mate to 
the 
Democratic 
presidential 
nominee.

“I’ve noticed that this place 
(the Union) fills up so I’m 
assuming that like Ross, the 
UGLi and Hatcher, they must be 
less full,” Iyer said. 
LSA junior Conor Duggan 
studied in the LSA Building for 
the first time Wednesday night. 
Duggan, who normally studies 
in the Hatcher Graduate Library, 
the UGLi and the Fishbowl 
in Mason Hall, said he hasn’t 
noticed a particular difference 
in the number of people studying 
there.
“I’ve only studied at the UGLi 
three times this semester so 
far, which sounds bad, but it is 
still early,” Duggan said. “I had 
no problem getting a seat, but 
it’s still early, so I mean, exams 
haven’t happened yet, you know, 
people aren’t feeling that rush 

yet. So it’s kind of too early to tell 
whether or not the space is really 
opened up.” 
Majie 
also 
noticed 
the 
Union was busy and said there 
were fewer students at more 
traditional study spaces.
“I’ve definitely noticed less 
people at the libraries since 
these two places have opened, 
which is nice in a way, you know, 
everybody’s like branching out, 
finding new places to study,” 
Majie said.
Duggan 
said 
students 
shouldn’t have trouble finding a 
place to work on campus.
“I think there’s a lot of 
resources on campus, like even 
you could go to like East Hall, 
the Law Library, the Graduate 
Library, the UGLi,” Duggan said. 
“I feel like sometimes it stinks 
that you have to walk around a 
little bit to find a place, but I mean 
after that you can always find a 
place if you actually look for it.”

STUDY
From Page 1A

WHITMER
From Page 1A

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily
Journalist Davey Alba, Ceren Budak and Molly Kleinman discuss how political campaigns around the world are weaponizing social media in Weill Hall Wednesday afternoon.

