Results of the Third Media Monitor — Fair, Foolish, in a Fix (Students examine Rappler, Inquirer, Ph Star, ABS-CBN, GMA 7, Radio Aksyon News 5) (part 1 of two parts)
(in their own words, grammatical and idiomatic errors unedited, excerpted)
By serendipity Sept. 9, 2014,SN: 2012- 15827 “On a September 4, 2014 article rappler.com/nation/makati-building-cayetano-binay from Rappler by Bea Cupin, a presentation of the two sides of the conflict was seen.xxx “Cayetano on Makati building: ‘World class just Binay’s ‘palusot’, xxx the author was able to present the two sides equally.xxx two sides are presented alternately.xxx Because of the organized structure of the article, there is no question on the balance of presented arguments. WWWWWWWWWWWWWW By Kristina Rivera @tinvcr) xxx a clear tweet by ABS-CBN News Channel (@ancalerts) that showed they were tweeting an advertisement. The post goes: @ANCALERTS: [ADVT] Don’t be a victim of viral diseases. Get the latest from Pamilya #OnGuard Proteksyon 24/7 on ANC Ch27, 4:30PM. I was glad to see that the tweet was not masquerading as anything else other than an advertisement. WWWWWWWWWW by Kristine xxx Sept. 7, 2014 GMA News Online published a report regarding the detainment (sic) of the actor Billy Crawford at a police precinct in BGC. According to the initial report, Crawford allegedly punched a police officer. However, upon further investigation it was said that the actor did not hurt anyone. He apparently hit a wall to release his anxiety. There was an ethical violation in this article, because there was no accuracy and truthfulness to the incident stated in the report. Moreover the news was not given proper context. WWWWWWWWWW by papa smurf philstar.com/metro/2014/09/08/girl-7-gang-raped-manila xxxThe second sentence immediately mentions the name of a seven year old girl who was gang raped and murdered. This is against the principle of minimizing harm. In addition, according to the Code of Professional and Ethical conduct of the Philippine Press Institute: The identities and photographs of children and women who figure in the news as victims of sexual abuse (i.e. rape, incest, sexual harassment, prostitution, battering, etc.) must not be printed, and details about their personal circumstances and identities must be withheld. In the case of incest victims, the identities of the accused and immediate family members must also be protected. Disclosure of the identities of victims of sexual abuse—but not their photographs—may be allowed only in cases when the adult victim (above 18 years old) has decided to file a case in court. Aside from mentioning the victim’s name, the article recounts the details of the crime which is also unethical. The article is clearly exploitative and it violates the rights of the victim. When an article is about a rape victim, it is important to treat the case with extreme sensitivity because of the nature of the crime and its effect on the victim’s person even if the victim has died. WWWWWWWWWWWW by karenadsantiago xxx regarding ones duty to air both sides of an argument. xxx As an individual, it is unavoidable to have biases or personal opinions towards social issues.xxx the issue of impeachment calls against Vice President Jejomar Binay:xxx newsinfo.inquirer.net/alceda-calls-for-binay-impeachment) had a rather questionable title in my opinion. Headlining something with what seems like an implication of what is a better choice (“impeach Binay best move”) should ideally not be done. However, I read the full article and thought that both sides were given ample space for each of their statements. Also, inquirer later on in the day released another article (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/why-binay-may-not-be-impeached-over-costly-makati-building), then headlined with a phrase that subtly leans towards Binay’s camp. This, in my opinion, at least makes an effort to put things at level ground. While the ideal is to have both sides equally represented in a single publication or article, realistically speaking, journalists work around the limitations of what is given to them at a certain time. Relevant information or press releases do not always become available at the same time, making it difficult for a news agency or a journalist to put out something that is not only up to date, but completely and flawlessly equal.xxx WWWWWWWWWW by paulinamatillano2014 xxx on the am radio the Tulfo brothers reporting about an incident. Then suddenly, they were saying something about the sicknesses of old people. They said it in a news like manner, and in the end, they suddenly promoted a medicine that cures the sickness. I think that they could confuse the ordinary people if they do it that way, but I think the bigger problem is, I think they are doing it on purpose. These kinds of action I think is unethical. It is said that journalists should act independently. They should be free of any obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know unbiased and objective information. Putting such advertisement in between news programs violates this rule. 2011-00873 Traveller WWWWW Shain Bianca Epanag, Shain Bianca C.2013-02109 xxx the arrest and detention of Kapamilya actor Billy Joe Crawford. GMA News was the first to air the ‘story’. xxx In Lia Manalac –del Castillo’s report, according to the initial investigation, Crawford hit the sliding door and the desk officer who’s a woman. xxx gmanetwork.com/news/video/newstvlive/billy-crawford-inaresto-matapos-umano-magwala-sa-istasyon-ng-pulis-sa-fort-bgc In del Castillo’s report, the source was not clearly stated. It cannot even be deduced whether GMA news had multiple sources for this. To add to that, even though the reporter kept on saying “’di umano”, the report somehow put Crawford in a bad light. Hours later, Billy Crawford released a statement to belie the report that he hit the desk officer at Taguig Police Station 7.
Meanwhile, in Rappler’s article, it mentioned that DZMM interviewed someone from the Police Station named Jonathan Aride who said that while it is true that Crawford pushed the glass door causing it to shatter, physical contact between him and the police officer did not take place.
For me, what Rappler did was a good move. It published both reportages of GMA and ABS-CBN who are rival network giants. It did not impose a certain side but rather, gave its readers the chance to choose which side they want to take. This incident just goes to show that a news story has a lot of angles. Up to this moment, we do not know the whole truth yet but what is important is that news agencies should not release reports without having two or more sources for their stories. Although at the end of GMA’s report they said that they were trying to get the side of Crawford, parts of the truth were missing making the story distorted which is in violation of the provision in the Journalist Code of Ethics saying, “I shall scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor to distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis. I recognize the duty to air the other side and the duty to correct substantive errors promptly”. WWWWWWWWWWWWWW by Dianne @ijolivan) xxx Billy Crawford was arrested due to malicious mischief and disrespect to a person of authority. GMA News was the first news platform to release news regarding Crawford’s arrest, followed by online news platforms such as Rappler, Inquirer, and Manila Bulletin. What surprised me is ABS-CBN has not released any news report about their local actor. However, the story was biased because it did not include Crawford’s side of the incident. It is evident that the news platform is trying to emphasize It was then until Crawford clarified such claims and was arrested that ABS-CBN released an initial article about the case. ABS-CBN news online released an article entitled “Billy Crawford Arrested for Drunken Behavior”, but as I have read the whole article, it only includes and emphasized Crawford’s apologetic stand more than what really happened.
To me, the article ABS-CBN News Online released serves as the counter affidavit of Crawford. These two media platforms, GMA News Online and ABS-CBN News Online, instead of releasing unbiased articles, just like any media platform should do, showed inclination. Moreover, what really disappointed me is seeing at the end of the news article by ABS-CBN is stating that Billy Crawford is shooting the sequel of Moron 5. The article swayed the focus from the issue to Crawford’s career. I don’t know what is worse: the biased reporting of these news platforms or the advertisement.
(excerpted, quoted verbatim; unedited: grammatical errors have not been corrected. For substance, the authors got points except as otherwise stated under “notes” for the student.)
(blog admin’s note on the first post below, same caveat as the previous one: There is a continuing debate on whether or not children or minors who have been killed should be named in news stories, being news subjects. Some news editors argue that since they are deceased, the restraint should be relaxed. That debate has not been resolved)
(blog admin’s note on the fifth post: There is a continuing debate on whether subjects of rape-murders could be named. Some news editors argue that since they are deceased, the restraint should be relaxed. I don’t agree with this – but there it is.)
Media monitor by domguamos.wordpress
“What happened with the four students of Bulacan State University (BSU) last August 20 was all over the news. As a matter of fact, three biggest news stations, GMA News, ABS-CBN News and News 5 had their own version of news coverage. With all that version, there is this one thing I noticed. All these stations revealed the students name. Based on the Philippine Press Institute Code of Ethics Article No. 8 which clearly states that one should exercise caution in publishing names of minors and women involved in criminal cases so that they may not unjustly lose their standing in the society. This case may not be a criminal rather a tragedy one but stating the victims’ name can still affect not only their reputation as well as their families. Not only the Code of Ethics has been violated but also rules implemented by the Commission on Higher Education.
“An alternative I can suggest is that they should have focus more on what really happened during the accident, the negligence in the part of the BSU officials as well as the tour guides during the field trip. As the news progresses each day, the three stations have included those information regarding what really went wrong in the field trip which in my opinion should have been on the first part of the story.
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By czarlinelene.wordpress
“Just this Sunday, Rappler released an article with the headline ‘Pinoy Archer Moreno wins Philippines first ever Olympic gold.’ At first glance, the subconscious mind would immediately establish that the Olympic indicated here is the Olympic main event that occurs during the summer and winter seasons of the year. It could have been a call for a nationwide, huge celebration, but this was not the case. As the headline gradually registers in the mind, the reality of the news report sinks in: it is not Olympic season yet so what is that clamor all about? It turns out, the Filipino archer clinched the medal in the Youth Olympic Games, a variation of the Olympic Games itself.
“Whether the writer used it to attract the readers or it was an honest mistake, it violates the first in the Code of Ethics: I shall scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor to distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis. I recognize the duty to air the other side and the duty to correct substantive errors promptly. The headline was a bit ambiguous, if not misleading. The fundamentals of newswriting teaches us that the headline must contain accurately the message of the article. In this case, there was improper emphasis on the specifics of the victory of the child, which led to the subtle distortion of the truth.”
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Media Monitor (Aug 20-26) by Darien at darienbas.wordpress
“Tragedy struck on the 20th of August when news broke that seven students of the Bulacan State University perished in an unfortunate drowning accident during a field trip to Biak-na-Bato national park.
“….news channels … nonchalantly named the victims despite the fact that the people involved were minors.
“Under the Philippine Press Institute Code of Ethics Article number 8, sensitivity and caution has to be exercised when dealing with issues concerning women and minors and with the three major television networks in the country (ABS-CBN, GMA, TV5) naming the deceased, it is possible that the focus can be diverted from the story to the people affected, namely their families which can have a huge psychological effect and I highly doubt there was the consent of the families affected when they aired the names.
“Media practitioners should remember to uphold the Code of Ethics and also a degree of professionalism especially when covering sensitive issues like this one because in this case, it was the story that mattered, not the names of those involved.
“Whether the writer used it to attract the readers or it was an honest mistake, it violates the first in the Code of Ethics: I shall scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor to distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis. I recognize the duty to air the other side and the duty to correct substantive errors promptly. The headline was a bit ambiguous, if not misleading. The fundamentals of newswriting teaches us that the headline must contain accurately the message of the article. In this case, there was improper emphasis on the specifics of the victory of the child, which led to the subtle distortion of the truth.”
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Media Monitor by kristina rivera
“One of the trends on the internet today is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. One of the first celebrities to do it in the Philippines is Kris Aquino. On her show “Aquino and Abunda” last night (Aug. 25), they aired a short video of other celebrities doing the challenge. Although Kris explained the good cause behind the challenge it seemed more like she was just advertising herself and her good will more than the actual cause. Although Kris may have raised awareness about ALS and the charity, the video seemed like it was highlighting Kris more than anything because at the end they focused on her and even said something along the lines of “and the celebrity who made it all happen” (referring to Kris). I just got the impression that it was more about Kris advertising herself and getting on board the trend than helping out the charity.
“This way of presenting the facts may affect its credibility because it raises the question of whether she was doing it to help the cause or promote herself.
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(Note for the student. Dear “wonderstruckwriter”: This example came from me and was discussed extensively in class last week – pls confer with your classmates. The purpose of the weekly media monitor exercise is to contribute in helping the students develop the habit of reading/ viewing the news with a critical eye. The goal would not be met if students are allowed to simply grab case studies taken up in class and pass them off as their own as their own media monitor. You may submit another one as a second chance, in addition to next week’s post, but with deductions, to be fair to your classmates. Also, as a suggestion: if your position is that the name of the subject of the rape-murder should not be disclosed, perhaps it would be good to refrain from disclosing the name in your own published post).
Media Monitor August 20-26, 2014 By Student wonderstruckwriter
“Rape cases are very sensitive topics to report on. It is because there is the involvement of physical, emotional and mental trauma to the victims and to their families. And although there is the need to report the truth of these matters, the Journalist’s Code of Ethics stated a provision on limiting the information a journalist can write about minors and women involved in criminal cases.
“For this week, A——— (name disclosed by GMA7 News & by student wonderstruckwriter, concealed by blog admin) case has been very present in the media. She became widely known as the 26-year-old victim of the rape-slay case in Calumpit, Bulacan. Causes both online and offline were established in her name (e.g. Justice for A——- ( name disclosed by GMA7 News & by student wonderstruckwriter, concealed by blog admin ) Facebook page, Call to revive death penalty), and stories about her life also emerged on the internet.
“However, I have reservations on how the media has reported on this matter. This reservation stems from the Journalist Code of Ethics provision: “I shall exercise caution in publishing names of minors and women involved in criminal cases so that they may not unjustly lose their standing in society.”
“The provision clearly states what it meant to say, however, it failed to provide a case to when it should be practiced or not. Apparently, this matter is a long-running debate to whether the press have the right to publish rape case victims’ names after death. In practice, though, media practitioners have already settled the matter—if the family has given their consent, then it’s fine.
“Let us examine this one by one. First, the provision’s reason for cautioning the press to publish names of these victims is clear as day—so as they would not ‘unjustly lose their standing in society.’ As I was reading opinions about this on the internet, many surviving rape victims were actually threatened by their peers, ostracized by the people. So I thought maybe this was what the provision was talking about. But does a “standing in society” apply only for living people? Don’t the dead get to have a “standing in society”, more specifically, a legacy?
“Second, as I have mentioned earlier, a family’s consent is the only thing needed for disclosing a rape victim’s name on reports. Regarding this matter, I tried to consider possible reasons to why it is considered ethical to do so. I think that the main reason is because a dead rape victim’s standing in society is reflected by her family, upon disclosure. Personally, when a rape victim’s name appears on the report, I immediately think of the family, and how that certain family recuperates from the tragedy. But to what extent does family have on this matter?
“Third, A——s case (name disclosed by GMA7 News & by student wonderstruckwriter, concealed by blog admin ) did not become a buried case—it actually ignited people’s feelings to address this effectively and even evolving it to become a proof that death penalty should be revived. I am devastated by the fate she suffered, but at least she did not die in vain. Was this because she was named and not one of the other faceless and nameless rape case victims reported? In my opinion, I think that there is something really wrong on how we treat these matters. News has projected a negative image on the ordinary Filipino, and reading about it seems “normal”. But regardless of A ———— (name disclosed by GMA7 News & by student wonderstruckwriter, concealed by blog admin) having been named by the media, shouldn’t the government exert extra effort in implementing its laws and strengthening the justice system?
“My point is, why do the media have to name rape case victims? What significant difference does it make? I think that reporting on the event itself is fine just as it is, or describing the victim is fine just as it is. I believe that a dead victim’s standing in society extends even after death. I believe that not naming a rape victim even after death, is called respect.
“Right now, A———- ( name disclosed by GMA7 News & by student wonderstruckwriter, concealed by blog admin) is making headlines. But she will always be remembered as the 26-year-old rape-slay case victim from Calumpit, Bulacan.”
