At Random: Media Monitor by Students; visuals posted by blog admin

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Thomas Gainsborough. “Pomeranian Bitch and Pup.” c.1777. Oil on canvas. Tate Gallery, London, UK. Right-clicked from http://www.abcgallery.com

By Student #6 | (unedited by blog administrator) Quote “ On August 12, 2007, an article published on the Philippine Star written by Marvin Sy only resorted to one source– Presidential Management Staff Chief Cerge Remonde.

Quote “ The article (”GMA to Morales: Attain targets or face dismissal”, page 6) was about President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s warning to Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales regarding the agency’s goal to meet the collection target for this year. Everything that was written on the article was based on what Remonde said. Remonde also quoted GMA, “You better achieve your targets or what happened at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will happen again”. (Jose Mario Buñag was removed from the BIR because of “huge collection shortfall”). Remonde was also quoted, “If they could not explain, then the President said they have no reason to stay in their posts”.

Quote “ The author of this article should’ve also wrote about what Morales have to say about GMA’s warning so that the readers will have a clear picture of the whole story. Also, if Morales was interviewed for this article then he could’ve stated the steps that the agency is already taking to achieve their goal. Since Sy did not wrote about Morales’ reaction, the readers only got GMA’s side– which is not enough and also unfair.

Quote “Another article published on the frontpage of the same newspaper also resorted to a single source. The headline of the article was “Destroy 5 seized luxury vehicles”. The only source of this article was Remonde and the author of this was also Sy.” Closed-quote.Aug 21, 5:52 AM — [

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By Student #15 | Our Practice Involves Accuracy

Quote “The front page of the August 23, 2007 issue of The Philippine Star carries the headline “Palace, Senate Gird for War”, written by Paolo Romero. The story chronicles President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s response to Senator Panfilo Lacson’s revival of the “Hello Garci” issue in Senate. A quote from the President is published with the article: “I embrace work and leave just to the pythons of hate to have a monopoly on the politics of destruction.”

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Ilya Repin. “A Newspaper Seller in Paris.” 1873. Oil on canvas. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia. Right-clicked from http://www.abcgallery.com

Quote “The front page of The Philippine Daily Inquirer carries a story entitled “I have a peace to win” by Juliet Labog-Javellana and Gil C. Cabacungan on the same story. The difference, however, is that the quote from the President reads as “Titans of hate”, as opposed to The Philippine Star’s “Pythons of hate”.

Quote “At this point, whoever was right or wrong in quoting the President is immaterial. Needless to say that in the journalism practice, it is of importance to quote sources, interviewees and subjects with utmost care, as comments and quotes inevitably affect the presentation of the story to the reading public. While a story may be well-written (as both stories are, in this case) discrepancies in the actual terms used by the subject being quoted affects not only the story itself but the credibility of the writers and the publication as well. Misquoting subjects also has legal implications and could be used as grounds for legal action.

Quote “In this case, though either newspaper could have committed an honest mistake in quoting the President, given that both are major broadsheets in the Philippines, the responsibility of accurately delivering the news to the reading public is given more attention than other newspapers. A vast majority of the country depend on these newspapers for news and updates. If the readers are given erroneous information, and are singularly depending upon the newspaper for information, the effect is more than obvious: misinformation. Although it was just on word, the impact of the word upon the statement (i.e. “pythons” referring to people has different insinuations compared to “titans”, and vice versa) would carry severe implications on the message the subject is trying to deliver.Aug 26, 2:04 AM —

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By Emeline Andrade – Comm 191 WWX |

Quote “Last August 22, 2007, while I was watching TV Patrol, I came across Kim Atienza’s report on an earthquake occurrence. In his report, what he indicated as its intensity was actually its magnitude. The measurement in the news was expressed as a Hindu Arabic Numeral. According to a lecture we had during our visit to PHIVOLCS last month, magnitude uses Hindu Arabic Numeral to indicate its value whereas intensity employs Roman Numeral. To my dismay, the wrong term was used in the entire report together with the misspelled text “intesity” flashed on the screen.

Quote “The mistake may seem minor at first. However, the two terms, magnitude and intensity are different. Our lecturer said that magnitude measures the amount of seismic energy released during an earthquake while intensity indicates its effects or the probable damage in a given area.

Quote “This violates the provision of KBP with regard to factual and accurate news reporting. The KBP code also says that “the supervision/evaluation of content, format and presentation of news broadcasts” is the responsibility of the editors and deskmen. Newscasts are supposed to inform the audience with accurate data and give appropriate warnings during disasters. Erroneous reports may cause confusion and even panic among the people.Aug 27, 3:45 PM —

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By student #12, J192 | (Unedited by blog administrator)

Quote “Record companies and radio stations can be too money-oriented these days! When I switched on the radio last Saturday, August 25, I first heard the song “How Do You Fall In Love” by Jose Mari Chan. I was very surprised, however, to hear the DJ announce the title of the album (Love Letters and Other Souvenirs) and its label/brand (Universal Records) from which the song was taken! The KBP Radio Code doesn not allow that!

Quote “ The station that made this serious error turned out to be Yes FM 101.1 and it violated a provision from the KBP Radio Code which says that “the mention of the label or brand of the record played or the title of the LP album from which the selection is taken shall not be allowed.” It committed a blatant act of album promotion-in short, a shameless plug. Isn’t it enough to let the song speak for itself and let the public look for the album if the song is any good? Why should record companies and radio stations ignore ethical principles in order increase album sales, anyway?

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By Student # 21 A. Antonio |

A. Antonio student #21 (unedited by blog administrator)

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Giorgio de Chirico.”The Disquieting Muses.” 1918. Oil on canvas. Private collection. Right-clicked from www.abcgallery.com

Quote “ Last Tuesday night (August 28) at 10:55pm, while I was switching radio stations, I came across a live concert telecast in a local barangay. This concert was sponsored by 97.1 Barangay LS FM. What caught my attention was when a local band by the name of Silent Sanctuary sang the song “Rebound” and added a curse word in the chorus of the song. It goes, “Tangna, rebound mo lang pla ako…” It was really absurd to hear a band play and curse on air no matter how ‘heartfelt’ the song was.

Quote “The act that was done by Silent Sanctuary was a violation of the radio code which does not allow any form of vulgarly and displeasing taste in words. Even if it wasn’t LS FM’s direct offense, it is their responsibility and accountability as a carrying media outfit to remind the bands to be careful of their language. To add to the injury, the vocalist of the band was trying to hype up the crowd by making ‘toilet’ jokes that goes, “First time nyo ba magkaron ng concert? Mga virgin pa pala kayo! First time nyo kaya na virginize nyo kami.” Quote “After a few minutes they made an apology statement, “Hindi nga pala pwede magsalita ng bastos, pasensya na sa mga nakikinig sa LS, hindi namin alam.” Despite making an on air apology, I believe a disciplinary action should be taken by the KBP to penalize the violation made. What has happened is not to be emulated and must be reprimanded immediately. As the saying goes, “Ignorance of the law excuses no one.”Aug 30, 4:07 AM — [

Our Kids: Children in the News

Notes posted by Camille Mendigorin -unedited by blog administrator 4th blog entry

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By Pieter Bruegel the Elder. “Children’s Games”. 1560. Oil on panel. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. From abcgallery.com

Quote” I would like to commend the program Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho for its episode on Saturday, August 18. This particular episode showcased a story entitled “Batang Sugarol” featuring children who, in (sic) such a young age, are (sic) already involved in gambling.

Quote “The episode interviewed a 12-year child who regularly bets (sic) in cockfights. He was greatly influenced by his father who even approves (sic) of his son’s habit as he is (sic) also a cockfight enthusiast. The child’s father was interviewed by the show but his face was never shown for if he will (sic) be recognizable, his child might be recognized by others as well. The program also featured other children involved in gambling such as a 10-year old boy who works (sic) as a bet collector in their community to support his studies, a teenager who collects (sic) bets for big-time gambling in campuses, and another minor who is (sic) now in juvenile detention as he once became addicted to gambling which pushed him to commit crimes such as robbery.

Quote “The faces of children featured and interviewed in the program were not entirely shown so as to protect their rights and reputation. Camera shots only showed the lower part of the interviewees’ faces and in no way are (sic) they recognizable. Moreover, the real names of the children were not revealed and they were only given nicknames.

Quote “The show also interviewed an expert, a child psychologist, to explain why children are attracted to gambling. The psychologist emphasized that parents have (sic) a great impact on children as a child may imitate a parent who is into gambling. He cited the case of the 12-year old child and his father interviewed in the earlier part of the episode. The psychologist also pointed out that children need (sic) constant guidance from parents so that they may not be attracted to unpleasant and improper habits and that parents should serve as good examples for their children.

Quote “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho abided with KBP’s general program standard that says, “Gambling shall never be presented as a good habit, nor shall the public be encouraged to engage in it.” The show made a clear message that gambling is (sic) a socially undesirable and unacceptable habit, not just for any person of proper age but especially for children or minors. The feature story ended with Jessica Soho saying “Ang hindi alam ng mga batang ito, nang dahil sa sugal, inilalagay nila sa alanganin maging ang kanilang sariling kinabukasan.” “ closed-quote.

Aug 24, 1:27 PM —

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Notes posted by Student # 21 A. Antonio

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By Pieter Bruegel the Elder. “Children’s Games”. Detail. 1560. Oil on panel. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. From abcgallery.com

A. Antonio student #21 (unedited by blog administrator)

Quote “While I was watching TV Patrol last night (August 22), I came across a news story about the danger of this particular kind of closed rubber slippers to children who ride (sic) the escalator. There was this recent incident where the child’s parents complained because of their son’s foot getting stuck at the edge of the escalator and having his toe almost broken. I personally never thought this accident was possible until they showed a live visual reenactment of the scene where the slippers was literally ‘swallowed’ and torn at the end of the ramp.

Quote “I would like to commend their presentation of this news item because of many favorable reasons. First, they did not hesitate to mention the brand name of the rubber slippers –CROCS, despite its popularity and international recognition. Second, it was just correct that they blurred the face of the child to protect his identity. Third, the story was impartial by making both parties talk and stand by their claim. The victim’s parents related their piece, however the CROCS’ local distributor refused to give a statement. Fourth, they made a research and showed previous incidents from other countries where this same kind of accident took place. Pictures of the kids toe and foot after the accident was (sic) also shown to prove that this is (sic) not just an isolated bizarre occurrence in our country. Moreover, they flashed on the screen a written response of CROCS to these past complains (sic) claiming that their slippers are (sic) ‘safe’ and that the escalators may be the cause of the problem. Fifth, they got a statement from the distributor of escalators regarding the problem and presented it as well. Lastly, they gave tips and precautionary steps to parents on how they would be able to prevent these kinds of accidents in the future.

Quote “I would say this is one good media practice which all news reports must follow and practice.” Closed-quote.

Aug 23, 4:21 AM

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Notes posted student #12

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By Pieter Bruegel the Elder. “Children’s Games”. Detail. 1560. Oil on panel. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. From abcgallery.com

Quote “Yesterday, August 20, 2007, “TV Patrol World” reported about fifteen alleged rugby sniffers/addicts caught in Rosario, Cavite. Nine of the alleged rugby sniffers were minors and two of these minors were interviewed on air. Fortunately for these youngsters, their faces (or rather, their eyes) were blurred/pixelized and their names were not revealed in the report.

Quote “This news report was an example of an ethical media practice. It followed the provision of the Philippine Journalist’s Code of Ethics, which states that a reporter (whether from print or broadcast) must be careful in revealing the names of minors involved in criminal cases so that “they may not unjustly lose their standing in society.” This provision is to be followed by all journalists to protect the privacy as well as the future of the minors (whether guilty or not)involved in wrongdoing.” Closed-quote.

from student no.12, J192
August 21, 2007, Tuesday


Coverage of rape, wars, inventions

 

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“Rape of the Sabine Women” (sculpture) by Giovanni de Bologna 1524-1608, Florence, Italy from http://www.faculty-staff.ou.edu

Posted by Student # 21 A. Antonio

“By A. Antonio #21
J192
(unedited by blog administrator)

Quote “Last night (August 8), while I was watching Bandila at around 11pm, I was not prepared to see disturbing images that almost did not make me sleep. There were two news items which I found to have violated the Television Code provision of the KBP. The first news was about the six people being rescued after the wall in Antipolo City collapsed and fell on three shanties after the heavy downpour. The victims were shown all bruised and injured while being carried in the arms by the rescuers. The visual image of a woman looking almost dead from the tragedy made me feel nauseated. I just hope it was at least blurred to conceal the identity of the victims and their pitiful condition.

Quote “The second news was I believe mishandled and even caused sensationalism. The story was about a raped pinay domestic helper in Saudi Arabia by the name of Leila Cabignon. She was said to have been repeatedly raped by her son’s employer. What caught me off-guard was the sex video clip to prove her claim. There’s nothing wrong about having that hard proof evidence other than the way it was presented in the news. It was flashed twice on screen. The first was for about three seconds distorting only the sex organ parts. The woman was blindfolded while her arms were tied. It was clear that the Arab was thrusting to the woman showing the real sexual act. The second part was now more blurred where the act was no longer visible. (which should have been done in the first place) I do not know whether or not the staff of Bandila intended to do this for the sake of ratings.

Quote “I know children are “supposedly” sleeping by this hour but that doesn’t give them the right to evade rules. They should be responsible and accountable for their actions and certainly they are not practicing this correctly. News programs in general must be more sensitive to their viewers’ sensibilities to avoid repulsive reactions and unethical practices.

Aug 9, 5:16 AM” closed-quote.

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Posted by Student #7 unedited by blog administrator

J192
quote “Today’s issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer released a story entitled “GMA sends docs to Mindanao” on its second page.

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Doctor, nurse, wounded soldier. France, 1940. http://www.library.utmem.edu

A part of this story tackled the war in Basilan which broke out after PGMA delivered her speech, yesterday.

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stamp, Jean Henry Dunant (1828-1920), Swiss philanthropist and initiator of the movement to create the Red Cross. Algeria, 1954, supra

Quote “I noticed that the story only contains statements from an unnamed military official and Albarka Mayor Jakilan Karam, both represent one side of the issue. The military official confirmed that the suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group attacked the members of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 8 in Barangay Sungkayot in Unkaya Pukan town. I suppose that this story about the war in Basilan is an example of single-source news which is contrary to a balanced report. Prof. Crysta Rara, in her article “Terror and the Press,” states the danger in this kind of reporting. She says “the constant use of the military, police, and government as the single source in a story could make readers think that their version of the truth is the only one.” I believe likewise.

Aug 7, 6:35 AM” closed-quote.

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Posted by Haydee Bautista – Comm191 WWX |

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“Jeepney” by Vicente Manansala 1951, oil on canvas, from www.iloko.tripod.com/Manansala

Quote “For the second time, I happened to watch “Umagang Kay Ganda” of ABS-CBN Channel 2. That was their July 19 edition. There was a news story about the EJ or the elctronic jeep. There were two speakers – the first one talked about the ordinary jeep as still the better option, while the second speaker talked about the EJ as a better alternative since we are now experiencing environmental problems.

Quote “And so, the problem with this news has nothing to do with getting both sides of the story. The thing is that the two speakers were not identified. They looked dignified and seem to hold high positions so I was waiting for the text that would flash and reveal their names and positions. But there was none.

Quote “This violates a provision of the KBP code for television on news sources where it was stated that “Care shall be exercised in the selection of news sources. Voice and VIDEO clips of persons involved in the news shall be properly identified.”

Quote “In addition, properly identifying the sources for these kinds of news stories is crucial so as to prove that it is not just a discreet form of advertisement.

Aug 10, 1:46 PM”.