Media on Elections and Violence 2016
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Local Media Under Threat Team leaders cited restraints on local media’s coverage given the threat of violence. They do not carry the same kind of immunity from attack and threat that are presumed for the big names from national media. But few of these venture out from the newsrooms of national press organizations. Field correspondents from the larger news organizations may have more security and often it is their reports that gain space and time in national news. By and large, Mindanao is covered best by MindaNews whose network of correspondents and contributors are well connected and are native to the beat. But even they need to be cautioned about venturing too far into fields of dangerous news. And with limited resources, MindaNews cannot cover every incident with timely and comprehensive accounts. Breaking News in Social Media Team leaders also noted the use of social media to share breaking news. Social media reporters are faceless and unknown. These insure greater personal security. Limited Scope of National Media This study also shows what a limited scope of coverage is given to regional news by newspapers that claim to be national. These hardly provide the “state of the nation” at any given time or season. ARMM, because of the poverty and insurgency in the region, is of critical importance to the development profile of Mindanao and deserves greater media focus and attention. As one of the largest provinces of the Bangsamoro, Maguindanao needs to be better reported to promote greater public understanding of the problems that hold it back. Clearly, one of these issues will highlight the bad governance that the people of the region have suffered through history. Perhaps, news organizations based in the capital need to enlarge the editorial framework of news rooms, involving journalists in setting the news agenda and opening up more space and time for the discussion and coverage of the regions. The election of the first president from Mindanao and his decision to continue to reside in Davao has caused a shift in the balance of news interest. But so far, this has been exerted in only a limited way, with reports concentrating only on the accounts of the president’s day spent in his home city. Media – Policy Link The democratic system precisely opens up space for discussion of problems and solutions. The media plays a role in keeping this discussion coherent and directed toward the discussion of sound policy. When the media fail to capture the salient points of the debate and discussion, then it presents policy-making only as battle of opposing sides, which sometimes speaking out with seemingly irreconcilable differences. To limit coverage of conflict and violence, including ERVs, to reports of episodes has the unwanted effect of making these the norm. It underlines the urgency of the identifying and implementing long term strategies that will address conflict and violence. The connection between media and policy is clearly demonstrated by the findings of the study. As a matter relegated to law enforcement agencies, ERV will continue to mar the electoral process, even as the voting process has been greatly improved by automation. There are of course other matters. The inequality of wealth distribution, of social services, education and health, may be directly linked to the quality of media attention given this aspect of national development. |
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