Answer: By algorithm.
Media Coverage #VPonTrial How can journalists and the news media make a breakthrough to pierce the cloak of protection being given to the primary evidence, the ITRs of Sara Duterte and spouse? (M230 Graduate School MidTerm Exam)
On mobile, tap the “Listen in browser” for the force to be with you 🙂
Finn (who forgot everything he had been given including the lightsaber) : “I need a weapon…”
Maz Kanata: YOU HAVE ONE!
M230. Media Ethics and Legal Standards by Marichu C. Lambino. MidTerm Exam Asynchronous
(c) copyright 2026 marichulambino No part of this Midterm Exercise/Midterm Exam may be used or reproduced in whole or in part without the author’s permission. University rules on unauthorized downloading, uploading, copying, xeroxing, reproduction, distribution, “sharing”, posting, etc. apply.
Instructions: Analyzing all the laws, cases, lecture notes, and summaries provided to you, please work on the following problem worth 30 points (or worth three exercises) based on news events in the first half of this semester:
On the media coverage of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte:
The last witness of the prosecution is set to conclude on cross, possible redirect, possible recross, today. After this, the prosecution is set to rest today or in the next few hearings.
The Senate impeachment court in determining the taxable income from all sources of VP Sara and spouse, relied on summaries as testified to by the BIR chief of staff.
This, even after the BIR had submitted the relevant ITRs in a sealed BIR Box to the House. The House prosecutors in turn had officially transmitted to the Senate impeachment court this BIR Box as a marked exhibit, and subsequently the Office of the President of the Republic allowed the ITRs inside the BIR Box to be viewed by the impeachment court as allowed by the NIRC code upon permission from the Office of the President of the Republic.
The summaries and testimonies are secondary evidence only of the primary, first-hand sources which are the ITRs, while all the analyses of it are only tertiary rebuttable opinion evidence.
There was no pushback from senator-judges to use first-hand sources, the ITRs – even in redacted form of personal information.
Coming now to the media coverage: The hard work of investigative journalism of using unofficial sources beyond and outside government officials to investigate all unexplained wealth and the first-hand primary sources, is a known practice by news media organizations.
Based on all these:
Second Set of Instructions: Using all the laws that protect journalists and all news media practitioners who use confidential sources in their investigative journalism work and the news media in publishing a redacted output of their investigative work protecting personal info like addresses etc except taxable income and unexplained wealth (specify and enumerate in your essay these laws, this will be graded) :
WRITE AN EDITORIAL IN FILIPINO LANGUAGE WITH A MINIMUM OF 500 WORDS AND A MAXIMUM OF 700 WORDS (there’s an app function above your page for word count in case you didn’t know) under the following specific instructions:
(1) Use your unique POV, using the above premises,
(2) Punctuate it with the use of rhetorical questions as a device, at least three rhetorical questions,
(3)Reference popular culture using an OPM song from 2024-2026 and
(4)Infuse the editorial with your own brand of humor, sarcasm, or satire (have fun writing it! Use your own unique voice or POV)
Note: The score and grade will be based on the substance (the laws, cases, legal principles discussed), the logic of the arguments, and the ability to follow instructions as abovestated. The writing style is all yours, do not worry about it, go to town with it and send my love to the timid Senate Beat Press Corps and their section editors/section directors 😊
Final Note: For transparency purposes, this MidTerm Exam entitled “Hello to the Timid Senate Beat Press Corps, their Section Editors/Section Directors 😊 “ will be posted today in a public site. Your output or essay with redacted personal info (no names, NO IDENTIFYING MARKS) will be posted in a public site for transparency purposes without comment and with NO IDENTIFYING MARKS. Nothing will be revealed. During classes, the class will vote on which essay they think is the “best one” by coded number, without identifying the author. The class will also vote on whether we will issue a public statement as a class using the winning editorial with attribution at the option of the author (the author may also request anonymity 😊, the anonymous author will be given the option to refuse the “honor” , and a second one will be chosen )
Marami pong salamat, and have fun writing the editorial, keeping in mind what we learned in class synchronously and asynchronously. Lezz go!
