MANILA—In a shocking turn of events, mainstream media has been caught red-handed engaging in what was once the exclusive domain of bloggers: spreading fake news with confidence, only to retract it moments later.

GMA News, known for its supposed journalistic integrity, boldly reported that former President Rodrigo Duterte had been denied asylum in China—based on an infallible, undisclosed “source.” However, in a plot twist worthy of a telenovela, the network soon backpedaled, effectively debunking itself.

This blunder has enraged local bloggers, who now fear their monopoly on disinformation is at risk. “We built this empire! We spent years perfecting the art of misleading headlines and baseless claims!” one anonymous blogger lamented.

Experts say the incident proves that no one has a monopoly on fake news. With legacy media now in the game, disinformation has never been more democratic.