A WIDELY shared article on Facebook reports that despite the drop in his satisfaction ratings, President Rodrigo Duterte has the highest rating among political leaders these days.
Not quite, but close. Duterte is tied with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose approval rating was 48 percent in September according to Forum Research, and has a lower rating than that of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In September, a Gallup World Poll showed Merkel's approval rating at 68 percent.
The original article comes from a parody site, The Adobo Chronicles, which describes itself as "Your best source of up-to-date unbelievable news." But when Facebook user Rene Astudillo (a self-described journalist, satirist, and community activist) posted the comparative ratings of nine presidents, prime ministers and a chancellor last Monday, his post was shared nearly 4,000 times in 14 hours.
In the parody article (“World Leaders Seek Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's Advice"), Adobo Chronicles joked that political leaders from other parts of the world had called up Duterte for advice on how to push up their satisfaction and trust ratings.
How far did fiction stray from facts, in this story? Here’s a look at the numbers:
Always a good idea to look for credible sources. This time, a parody site nearly got it right. (VoxPop Cebu)