The 5th Media Monitor (one regular or the 1st Bonus or the 2nd Bonus) can be posted here, deadline Thursday 5pm).
(Posts with more than three hyperlinks are usually caught by the spamcatcher ⊗ and held in the dashboard for verification 🙂 )
Highlights from the 2nd bonus posts submitted last week — Happy Reading ♣
From mariah: “Philippine Collegian recently posted a photo of Fighting Maroon basketball player Jett Manuel raising up a fist and holding a sheet of paper with #StopLumadKillings written on it. It says, “The victory of the UP Men’s Basketball Team today is an inspiration for students and the youth who are also in solidarity with our lumad brothers and sisters.” First, both Philippine Collegian and Interaksyon’s reporting are both in line with SPJ’s code of giving voice to the voiceless, and telling the story of the diversity of the human experience. Philippine Collegian was smart to use the newfound media attention on UP Fighting Maroons’ basketball team and their victories as a way to forward advocacies, especially considering that the Lumad Killings are an important issue today.
“It also follows SPJ’s value of providing context. Interaskyon provided context and elaborated on the murders of Emerito Samarca, Dionel Campos, Bello Sinzo, Datu Herminio Samia, and members of his family who were killed, and those sentences were earlier in the article than Manuel’s statement about UP’s readiness for the next season. The reporter prioritized telling about the Lumad Killings. It allowed Jett Manuel and the Philippine Collegian’s message to spread to more people, introducing the issue and its relevance to readers who may have just been following UAAP sports. Kudos to Interkasyon and Philippine Collegian for good media practice.”
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From Estelle: “An article regarding the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) calling on government to conduct honest and impartial probe on Lumad killings was published by GMA News Online yesterday night. Upon reading the headline, I found myself a little worried because the article involves both ethnicity and religion, two factors that can lead to unethical issues such as stereotyping and sensitivity. However, the news was written carefully, abiding by the code of ethics.
“The SPJ Code of Ethics states that journalists must avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status. Lumad are said to be neither non-Christian nor non-Muslim although their culture is leading towards Islam. I noticed that the article is made up of mostly direct quotations from the CBCP themselves; the writer avoided adding other information. In this way, the article was written in a way readers will only think of CBCP’s action as a pure call for justice because it is the right thing to do.
“Second, it is also stated that journalists must diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing. Aside from CBCP’s statement, a statement from Lt. Gen. Aurelio Baladad, chief of the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command, was released. He stressed that the Magahat/Bagani Force is not under the military, countering claims by Surigao del Sur Governor Johnny Pimentel that the Army helped create the group. What is known to the public now is that the Magahat/Bagani Force is under the auspice of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Lt. Baladad’s statement gave balance to the whole story.
“Lastly, journalists are to test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Even if the public seems to take sides on the issue already, it is a good thing that writers do not neglect the fact that the suspects behind the killing of the Lumad are only alleged. xxx.”
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From louiseguevara: ““UP kicks off UAAP season 78 opening in style” (page 8)
“Sa unang paglilimbag ng Tinig ng Plaridel para sa taong ito, laman ng kanilang pahayagan ang ilang mga artikulong nagtatampok sa UAAP Season 78. Isa sa mga artikulong ito ay tungkol sa pagbubukas ng nasabing palaro na ginanap noong Setyembre 5, Sabado. Imbis na pagtuunang pansin ang iba’t-ibang mga media coverage at bigyan ang mga ito ng personal na kumento, mas napili kong tumalakay ng isang coverage mula sa TNP sa kadahilanang gusto kong makita kung mayroon ba o walang conflict of interest panig sa UP na siyang host ng UAAP sa taong ito. Higit pa rito, mas gusto ko malaman kung nasa tamang konteksto ba ang nilalaman ng balita at sa kaugnay ng pagbibigay titulo (title/headline) dito.
“Sa aking pagsusuri, hindi nagkulang ang nasabing artikulo na bigyan ang mga mambabasa ng angkop at sapat na impormasyon tungkol sa pagbubukas ng UAAP. Subalit hindi rin kaila sa huling bahagi ng artikulo ang masyadong pagpanig sa UP. Ito ay sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay detalye sa naging unang laro at panalo ng UP laban sa UE. Para sa akin ay maaari na itong hindi gawing parte ng nasabing balita sa kadahilanang medyo taliwas ito sa layuning ipinapahayag ng titulo ng artikulo — na siyang tumutukoy lamang sa pagbubukas na seremonya ng palaro.
“SPJ involved: – Conflict of interest – Context”
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From Antonne: “xxx The Lumads are part of the minority and hence the media is supposed to be giving them a voice. However, there has not been much representation for them.
“The media has not highlighted this issue since other news are being given more priority. Manila-centrism is evident in news such as the UAAP games and the intense Manila traffic. There is nothing wrong with this but the media should be the watchdogxxx the representative xxx there should be more efforts. This is a matter that should be transparent for the whole nation.
“Along these lines, I believe that the media should also give proper context on what has been happening with our brothers and sisters in Mindanao as stated in the provisions of the SPJ. Only a few are aware regarding this matter.
“xxx The media has a huge responsibility in making this a reality.”
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From Carla: “The article tells about how the Lumad, an IP group in Eastern Mindanao, is caught between the NPA and the military war. The military believes that most members of the NPA now are from the IP group and that the school where they study are run by the NPA themselves. The military accuses that through these schools, the NPA is brainwashing the IP groups, insisting them ideas that are against the military and the government. The military also denies the connection they have with the Bagani Force which is alleged of killing the Lumad leaders. The military also tries to explain that the militarization the public sees as a threat is actually a protection.
“If we apply the SPJ Code of Ethics, we’ll see that it’s a good thing the writer identified its sources but if we evaluate the sources’ motives, it’ll be kind of unethical because the news somehow feels like bias to the military. I see it as an article explaining the sides of the military of why they do such and what do they think about the IPs. Also, even though they give figures of the IPs they think are now members of the NPA, there is no concrete data or proof that should allow them to tag these people as part of the group. There is not even one statement that came from the Lumad making the article unable to report all sides of the story. It didn’t give voice to the voiceless, which are the Lumads, and only assumed that they are just caught up between the two forces, even if they are the ones involve. Even if we use the PPI, this long article won’t pass the airing of all sides. We know that we can’t ever interview the NPA given their nature, but we can always talk to the Lumad and ask and listen to their side of the story.”
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From Hannah Kayreen M. Aliwate: “To be able to properly evaluate the media coverage of the Lumad killings, I went back and read the news of last September 1. Based on what I found, there were only five articles about the event with only 2 comprehensive reports on the issue. Those two comprehensive reports that gave enough context and detail for all readers to better understand the issue were from Bulatlat and Interaksyon. Fast forward to September 6 and Interaksyon released an even more detailed coverage of the issue. Six days later, September 12, the issue has gone viral and more reports have been written.
“To simply say that this issue has been under-reported would be an understatement. If we turn to the Philippine Journalist’s Code of Ethics, they have failed the first and what I believe to be the most important rule involved: “to scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor to distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis.” Because while they did not distort any truth or emphasized anything inappropriately, the fact that not more than 5 reports circulated about the Lumad killings on September 1 says a lot. It means that most of our journalists failed to give voice to the voiceless when they’re supposed to be the first one to know. It means that most of our journalists failed to report about the issue and its entirety. And out of the 5 articles that were published online on September 1, 3 of them failed to give enough detail about the issue. They did not mention the fact that the disturbance between the Lumads and the military have been going on for about a decade, nor did they mention that the different kinds of harassment may Lumads endured.
“So although I commend those 3 reports for what they did, it truly wasn’t enough to give justice to the issue.
“References: September 1 reports on the Lumad killing rappler nation school-head-lumad-leaders-killed-surigao-del-sur mindanews /top-stories/2015/09/01/lumad-school-director-2-others-killed-in-lianga-surigao-sur/ karapatan Karapatan+outraged+by+the+killing+of+Lumad+school+exec+and+leaders+in+Surigao+del+Sur bulatlat main/2015/09/01/deadly-rampage-lumad-school-head-2-manobo-leaders-killed-in-surigao-sur/ interaksyon article breaking–head-of-lumad-school-tribal-leader-slain-by-militia-in-surigao-del-sur September 6 report by Interaksyon interaksyon article ethnocide–lumad-exodus-grows-case-eyed-in-global-court-over-educators-killing”
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From Lester: “Na-monitor ko na iniuulat ng halos lahat ng news organizations ang mga laro at palighasahan sa UAAP, lalung-lalo na ang basketball. Ito ay kasama sa sports news di lamang ng ABS-CBN na ekslusibong nagdadala ng tv show, kundi ng halos lahat ng TV news programs tulad ng sa ABC Channel 5, GMA Channel 7 at Channel 24, CNN Philippines Channel 14, at sa mga pahayagan, online at print tulad ng inquirer.net, philstar.com, interaksyon.com, rappler, at iba pa. Ipinapakita nito ang pagiging balanse ng news format at mga ulat na hindi lamang ukol sa mga nakakagimbal na krimen at nakakasawang kampanya ng mga pulitiko ang laman ng balita–– meron din namang mga nakakagalak na ulat ukol sa paligsahan ng mga unibersidad at kolehiyo sa larangan ng sports. Ipinapakita rin nito ang tinatawag ng SPJ na “diversity of the human experience” o “telling the story of the diversity of the human experience”, o ang makulay na magkakaiba at iba’t ibang karanasan ng sangkatauhan. Ipinapakita rin ng mga indibidwal na ulat ang accuracy, at “never distorting facts” (SPJ) at “avoiding improper emphasis” at avoiding “distortion of truth” (PPI). Ipinapakita rin ang pagpapahalaga ng mga TV networks na nabanggit at mga pahayagan na nabangggit sa paglinang ng kagalingan ng kabataan, at mga aral na matutunan sa sports tulad ng pagiging patas, disiplina, dedikasyon, at iba pa. Marahil mas magiging matingkad pa ang mga ito sa pag-uulat rin ng mga paligsahan sa sports sa mga iba’t ibang rehiyon ng bansa. Magandang practice ang ipinapakita ng mga nabanggit na TV news networks at pahayagan.”
❤ ❤ ❤ From Pierre Samson: “I have reviewed three articles released by InterAksyon.com of TV5 from September 1 to 10 that are about the Lumad killings in Surigao del Sur. I chose to assess the coverage of InterAksyon.com because the website is the first major news organization to break the news of the three killings.
“I commend InterAksyon.com for being, as already pointed out, the first to break the news. It did not see the event as something normal. Rather, it treated the IPs as dignified human beings who deserve justice and respect. It was also able to identify its sources, give voice to the voiceless lumad tribes, and serve as the watchdog of the public on military affairs. These are all necessary according to the SPJ Code of Ethics. In addition, it avoided stereotyping the Manobos as helpless victims by contextualizing the IPs’ efforts to combat the lack of education in their communities. The articles were also faithful to the Expanded Code of Ethics ofbthe PPI because they aired the side of the military, which is accused as the supporter of the suspect paramilitary group.”
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From Jazz Jamelo: “The first time I’ve seen a media coverage on the Killings of 3 Lumad Leaders in Surigao del Norte was on September 7, 2015 in GMA News TV—six days late from the day of the murders were perpetrated, days late from when the I’ve heard Lumads sought out help in UP Manila. A few days of no attention to an issue this big? That I say is definitely under-reporting.
“From what I’ve seen from the “biggest networks’” coverage, I can say that they are definitely failing to uphold Ethical Journalism. It is not enough for GMA News to give one scoop about the latest from AlDub in the Showbiz segment that they even have to include it in the News Headlines, but they cannot give more than 5 minutes for the National matters of Human Rights Violation. ABS-CBN cannot even say in a recent scoop title that an IP leader has been killed but has to put their name under an NGO leader. Their top news from last week has centered still on the INC and Balikbayan box issue. I’d like to think that they are probably playing things safe, waiting till the right sources are clarified. But then again, it has been days and it is not like the issue about the indigenous people from Mindanao is a very unfamiliar matter. Their news has only boomed when they caught PNOY’s comment saying there is no campaign to kill anybody.
“I believe that they have these following code of ethics 1. Be vigilant and Courageous about holding those with power accountable. Give voice to the voiceless. 2. Provide context. Take special care not to misinterpret or oversimplify in previewing, or summarizing a story. 3. Gather, update and correct information throughout the life of a news story. 4. Support the open and civil exchange of views, even views they find repugnant. 5. Boldly tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience. Seek sources whose voices we seldom hear.
“On the other hand, I commend certain alternative medias and newspapers such as Rappler.com and inquirer for giving out specific details and even interviews with important involved people such as the affected party themselves and even the governer of Surigao del Norte.”
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From Jamme: “If I remember correctly, I’ve seen various student groups calling for help and raising awareness about the Lumad issue for almost two weeks now. And to be honest, I had been only informed about it when the issue was presented to us by the UP CMC Student Council in a meeting last week. They greatly emphasized that we needed to spread the issue and awareness to our specific student groups and organizations because their issue hasn’t been reported in “mainstream” media until lately.
“One of the provisions states that that the media needs to give voice to the voiceless. At this point, the media has failed to serve its purpose because they weren’t able to represent the Lumads right away. They weren’t able to report that there had been already killings and harrassments. Honestly, if it weren’t for the student groups, councils, and organizations calling for help and justice for the Lumads, this issue wouldn’t exactly be emphasized and given importance. I personally think that they did a better job at helping and raising awareness about this issue. They did a better job at raising the Lumad’s people sentiments by organizing small programs where people can listen and hear their dreadful stories and the ongoing militarization at their lands. This also includes the alternative press such as our very own Philippine Collegian.
“Now reports about the issue are everywhere, from television news to online articles. Now that its on a larger scale, the media was able report the different sides of the issue, but I think it needs to provide a clearer background of what’s actually going on there. A brief and concise historization would really help.”
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From Mia: “I was first informed about the issue about the Lumads during a meeting last week. I was just given a brief background about it, but it immediately sparked anger (towards what was happening) and disgust and disappointment (towards the alleged culprits) within me. During some my classes, groups of people requested to interrupt the class for a few minutes to inform everyone about the issue. I follow the social media accounts of news portals, and from what I saw, netizens have been noisy about it. For several days, #StopLumadKillings placed at the top of Twitter’s Philippine Trends. Also, I am surrounded by people who also know it. And that’s why I seemed to forget that not everyone is the same.
“Nowadays, I rarely am able to watch TV, so I don’t know what mainstream news and public affairs shows report about. However, upon searching in the Internet, I found out that there’s only little media coverage of the Lumad issue. I scrolled down the Youtube account of ABS-CBN News until I reached September 01 (the day the Lumad leaders were killed), and this is the only related video I found (youtube watch?v=_muc_ETU3rc&index=41&list=PLgyY1WylJUmj4l7cu_NBV4fLnSjnbB4ex). I also watched the videos of TV Patrol CARAGA; Ironically, the word “Lumad” wasn’t even mentioned once in the September 1 (or 2) episode, even though the Lumads live in the CARAGA region. On the other hand, there have been several reports in GMA News (31 videos related to the Lumads or Lumad issue from September 3 to 11. Source:youtube user/gmanews/videos).
“It’s saddening to know that the mass is not aware of an atrocity happening in our own country. I asked some of my friends (that are also from UP) if they know about it and they said no. Every time I encounter a person like that, I try to enlighten them by giving a background of the issue. People need to know more about this. Luckily, famous personalities spoke up about it, like the UP Men’s Basketball Team after their victory in their UAAP games (interaksyon interaktv para-sa-bayan-up-fighting-maroons-use-recent-win-to-raise-awareness-for-lumad-killings) and Aiza Seguerra saying that Filipinos may be concerned about the crisis in Syria, but should be more alarmed about the Lumad issue because it’s happening in our own country (entertainment.inquirer aiza-seguerra-reminds-filipinos-to-turn-focus-on-lumad-killings). It’s alright for Filipinos to be part of fandoms and pop culture trends like AlDub, but we need to be more knowledgeable about issues like this, and the media has the power to enlighten the people. Let us hope that eventually it will use its scope to mke us more critical about our government and society.”
❤ ❤ ❤ From Jodian: “Following the UP Maroons second straight win against the La Salle Archers, a flood of news articles started popping up about this newfound (and unexpected) success that was coming their way. For the most part, these articles gave fair and accurate reports, choosing to instill a feel-good story while highlighting statistical facts to back up the Maroons’ on-court performance. In some cases, the media tried to further play up the story by giving anecdotes to their success, such as their Filsports Basketball Association (FBA) championship win during the off-season or the total coaching staff overhaul.
“Moreover, I noticed that a number of media outlets did not pass up the chance to mention any potential bonfire plans because of what happened during last season when UP started one in celebration of the Maroons first win after a long time. I felt it was unnecessary reporting and seemed to be stereotyping that occurrence just for the sake of it. Lastly, in one particular article I read that “the team also received gift packs from Robinson’s Supermarket and Handyman” as a gesture of appreciation for the win. xxx”
