Gearing Up For The Elections: NUJP holds training for reporters

NUJP holds training for reporters
Gearing Up For The Elections
By Don Gil K. Carreon

IN 2004, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) conducted separate studies on the Philippine media’s performance during that year’s elections.
The CMFR study confirmed the long-held perception that media coverage of the elections has focused on personalities and conflict instead of issues and platforms.
On the other hand, the PCIJ found out that a number of factors—such as the inexperience of some reporters, the lack of preparation of media outfits, the limitations of a particular medium, and the need to score high ratings—contributed to the coverage that is superficial.
To better prepare reporters for the rigors of this year’s elections, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), the largest organization of journalists in the country, conducted a training program last March 27 and 31 in Quezon City. There the participants were given a crash course in election laws, Philippine election history, information sources, story approaches, ethical concerns, and safety issues.

Vigilance needed
Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Mehol Sadain discussed election laws, explaining the stages of the an elections and the loopholes in the law, which limits the Comelec’s effectiveness in preventing fraud.
Sadain also cited the provision in the Fair Elections Act governing media’s conduct during elections, which emphasizes fairness and truthfulness.
Aside from giving a quick course on election laws, the former commissioner also lectured on the common forms of fraud committed during the different stages of the elections.
“As reporters, you should be on the lookout for these (fraudulent activities) more than the failings of elections rules because the laws are so technical that even lawyers cannot understand them,” Sadain said.

Ethics and safety
Election spending is not a concern among candidates alone; even media organizations have to deal with the problem as they need to set aside a budget for this special coverage. Reporters need to be supplied with provisions and additional allowances as they follow  candidates in their campaigns.
Not all media outfits have the resources to finance a comprehensive coverage of the campaigns.  Because of this, there are some  journalists who end up relying on candidates to help them meet their expenses.
Still, NUJP secretary-general Rowena Paraan said, journalists must still strive to pay for their own way.
Inday Varona, NUJP chair for external affairs, explained how the journalists’ reliance on candidates for their expenses can haunt them later on.
“You do not hear complaints from candidates when they feed you while you are covering them. But when you write something bad about them, they will say you are an ingrate,” Varona said.
At the same time, journalists must take care not to unduly antagonize the candidates they are covering, she said. Bad feelings can result when a reporter brusquely refuses offers from a candidate, and coverage as well as access can be affected.
“You don’t tell a candidate or his representative that you are an ethical journalist in front of everyone and then storm out of the room. You just have to refuse his offers politely,” Varona said.
The trainers also discouraged the group from engaging in pack journalism, a tendency that is so common in covering a campaign where reporters tend to be in the same place most of the time. Effort must be exerted to come up with enterprise stories.
In addition, reporters must be prepared for the unexpected.
“You must do a story prepared to change your mind. Report events exactly as they happen not as you would like them to happen,” Varona said.
According to Paraan, it is also important that reporters tell their editors what they need in their coverage. An elections checklist for editors, based on the International Federation of Journalists’ proposal on things that reporters must prepare for, was also distributed to the training participants.
The important things that reporters must prepare for in covering a campaign can be classified into three: information, logistics, and contacts.
Aside from those, Paraan also reminded participants to be wary of possible violence.
“In 2004, NUJP recorded the highest number of journalist killings at 14 and we think that a major factor in that was the election,” Paraan she said.
Reporters were given practical safety tips such as refusing assignments which they feel are too risky, not wearing clothes whose colors are identified with particular candidates during campaign rallies, and coordinating with local journalists when assigned to cover in the provinces.

Fresh perspectives
In the PCIJ study, heads of the candidates’ media bureaus often complained that reporters lacked editorial direction, which led to an abundance of stories that rarely went beyond what candidates said and did during campaign sorties.
To give depth to a story, Varona cited the importance of research in writing the news.
“You should check for yourselves whether the information given to you is accurate. The Internet is an important research tool but information gotten from there must still be independently verified,” she said.
A list of possible sources and their contact numbers were also provided to the participants.
Varona also said that while stories regarding candidates’ platforms and their stand on issues are important, it is also crucial to file stories that show how candidates, especially the incumbents, have followed through on their promises in the previous elections.
She added, however, that media personalities-turned-candidates must also be given the benefit of the doubt in the reportage so as not to make the media appear elitist.

Importance of training
The findings of CMFR and PCIJ show that there is much room for improvement in media’s coverage of elections. As the editors of the different media outfits themselves have admitted, they could have better prepared their staff for the elections through advanced training.
Although some media organizations have already done that for this year’s elections, there are still those who cannot afford to give this to their staff. That is where groups like NUJP, which holds the trainings for free, come in.
The seminar participants included new journalists as well as veterans in the trade. Each participant gave a list of five election-related stories that they would like to pursue. They outlined the sources and the possible obstacles to these.

Comments are closed.