Students’ critique of Inquirer, ABS-CBN, GMA7, yugatech site

THIRD OF FOUR PARTS

      Students’ critique of Inquirer, ABS-CBN, GMA7, yugatech site

 (blog admin’s note on the third post: There is a continuing debate on whether children or minors who have been killed, as news subjects, should be named. Some news editors argue that since they are deceased, the restraint should be relaxed. That debate has not been resolved.)

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Media monitor by karenadsantiago

        Article: inquirer.net/pangasinan-mayor-killed-on-eve-of-anniversary-sons-wedding)

         “xxx “Pangasinan mayor killed on eve of anniversary, son’s wedding”

        “It was a statement almost ripped from a romance-action flick; like a phrase to describe the climactic scene in your typical Filipino box office starring maybe Robin Padilla. It made me wonder however, if the whole wedding part was a relevant detail at all in the course of events or is this an example of improper emphasis.

        “While it is a necessary detail that the mayor was out inspecting a venue for the event when he was shot down, I don’t see why the fact his son was having a wedding had to be part of the title. The fact that his son was getting wed is not a pivotal detail to the mayor’s assassination at all so headlining the story as such seemed more of a subtle attempt to garner emotional attention. It’s not a major offense probably, but it did make me furrow my eyebrows a bit. It reminds me of TV Patrol during times a celebrity passes away and how they often thrust loved ones into the spotlight turning supposedly solemn wakes into a drama setting. This kind of strategy of course sells, and in some way makes certain stories more memorable because of the sympathy-factor involved. It does however, in my opinion, also some way takes the attention away from the injustice that actually happened and the gravity of the actual crime.

      “Journalism is supposed to be, as much as possible, stated in a very matter of factly manner. While it is in certain angles still a business and a livelihood for many, using sensationalized titles like this should be left to entertainment magazines.

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Media Monitor by  Mark Sing

       “Many news organizations have inflicted a certain level of harm to the families of the Bulacan State University (BSU) students who have died last week during their field trip in a river in Bulacan.

       “News organizations like ABS-CBN News, GMA News, and News5, and even print media organizations have revealed the names of the students who have met a tragic demise during their academic field trip, which authorities have found to ignored the rules set by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). These news organizations could have emphasized and focused on the negligence on the part of the BSU officials. Instead, these organizations revealed the names of the dead students. This has harmed the reputation of the students who passed away. The organizations also interviewed the survivors, who have experienced trauma and were made to reopen the healing wounds by recounting the last moments that their fellow students were still alive.”

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Damoves (Weekly Media Monitor for Aug. 20-26)      By Jag ohwellmanuel.wordpress

       “YugaTech is one of the most well-known tech sites in the Philippines. Run by professional tech blogger Abe Olandres, the site has been featuring various stories and reviews on different technology products and companies since 2005.

 

       “On August 22, 2014, the website released an article which features a certain PDF editing software. At first glance, the said article looks like a review. However, after taking a closer look at it, it can be deduced that the article isn’t a review at all.

 

      “If …. an advertisement, it will be contrary to what is stated in the blog’s advertisements page, which states that the site does not accept paid advertisements or advertorials. Interestingly, not once within the page was it disclosed that the said article was sponsored by a certain software developer at all.

 

     “The Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists states that journalists must “distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.” Deceptive advertising practices have started to become more widespread on the Internet, where a number of features and news articles appear to come from non-biased sources, when in fact, they do not. In this case, there is a fine line between featuring a certain software and advertising it. Regardless of the type of content, journalists, whether on traditional or new media, must always make it a point to clearly delineate which among their articles are news and which are not, because compromising their credibility in exchange for money greatly undermines the integrity of the media in general as a public trust.”

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(Note for the post below: Dear ivy: This is a rant about the news subject himself (Ramon Bautista), and not a review of the news content or media content. The news story here is the yahoo.ph story that you linked, and you have no review of the news content itself. If you want to produce a critique of the live performance of the news subject, review it as media content , or find the online version as post by itself (and not as part of a news story) and write your review. Also, your use of the word “metaphor” is wrong; he used it not as a metaphor but as a sexist slur or derogatory label. I will give you another chance to submit another one, with deductions, in addition to next week’s media monitor, but only for this time)

Media Monitor 1 by  Ivy M. de la Cruz at ivymdelacruz.wordpress

       “The 16th of August 2014 marked the annual celebration of Kadayawan Festival in Davao City. But the celebration turned out to be a mockery party. Comedian-writer-film maker – Ramon Bautista was the invited guest and he cracked a joke saying Davao is a city of “hipon” (shrimp), a metaphor used for women with sexy bodies but ugly faces. This stirred up outrage and disappointment among the audience and the Davaoenyos and called the attention of various groups of women in the city particularly the nuns. They immediately suggested for comedian’s banishment from the city. Heeding this call 3 days after the incident, Davao City government released a resolution declaring Ramon Bautista “persona non grata”. This means he is from now on prohibited from entering the city and will be arrested otherwise.

         “A provision in the resolution says: this is being done to let the people and world know that such action is not tolerable and an extremely corrupt influence to the youth.[1]

It is condemnable that public figures, such as TV personalities, we put into the spotlight forget the responsibility that comes with it. We give them the fame and fortune by patronizing them but they neglect the purpose it serves; to set a good example and influence people in a good way. But as to what seems to be the usual scenario, they take so much pride out of it and blatantly abuse the privilege. They end up hurting and disappointing the ones who gave them the luxury of fame. We can see that this “bad patronization” of inappropriate stars proliferates and doesn’t produce good results that can contribute to nation progress. There should not be a room for ill-mannered stars in the media because media is supposed to empower people not to degrade them. The power to inspire people becomes an abstract idea and a sugar-coat to exploit popularity. It is also worth note-taking that Bautista as a comedian and media personality clearly violated the code of media ethics. He is a radio host and a certified film maker so he should but abide and work by the principles of responsible entertainment media. Ethics provides that a media personality should avoid using foul and offensive language; “denigrating or degrading any person by reason of sex, creed, religion, belief.” Comedians, as entertainers should always take into account the dignity and morale of their audience before saying a word or cracking a joke. After all, they are performers who are supposed to joke around and make fun of themselves, let alone their audience but not to insult their being. This should serve as a lesson for the viewers as well; to carefully choose the public figures they look up to and consider their personality at utmost regard before the looks, the punch lines, and entertainment they offer. The most promising star is not the one who makes people laugh or cry but the one who moves them to do better things.

 Reference: 1. “Davao City Councilor says Ramon Bautista’s Apology ‘half-baked’”, ANC|Yahoo! Philippines News, ANC-Wed, Aug 20, 2014. Web. Accessed Aug 23, 2014. (anc.yahoo.com/davao-city-councilor-says-ramon-bautista-s-apology-was–half-baked)

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