Journalism Review Archives | Page 107 of 162

Sexism in Headline: Trivializing Serious Challenge to Sereno

RECENTLY, media reported on a memorandum written by an associate justice questioning certain actions of no less than the Chief Justice of the Republic of the Philippines. The development deserves serious media attention and calls for the application of investigative reporting to verify the basis of the inquiry....

Fire in the City: The Failure of Military Airstrikes in Marawi

THE BURNING of Marawi City may have been a case of the military shooting itself in the foot as misfires caused significant loss of fighting men. On May 31, media reported that an SF-260 aircraft targeting areas held by the Maute Group dropped the bomb instead on the...

A Desperate Striptease for Readers

THE PAPER is nothing but a sleazy tabloid! That’s what the oversized photo of a scantily clad beauty on the front page says about a paper that cannot resist this kind of cheap stunt. With all the urgent and relevant issues that the public should be thinking about,...

Hits and Misses: Coverage of the SC Decision on Factual Sufficiency of Proclamation No. 216

THE DECISION has been described as a landmark and a milestone in Philippine judicial history. And media reporting on it failed to rise to the challenge of reporting Supreme Court (SC) decisions. On July 4, the SC upheld President Rodrigo Duterte’s May 23 declaration of martial law and...

Insensitive Use of Victim’s Photo: Sensationalizing a Tragedy in a Public Place

UNLIKE ONLINE photos that can be taken down, photos in print media cannot be retracted, and become part of the permanent public record. On July 9, The Manila Times published a brief news report about an apparent suicide in the UP Diliman campus where a dead man was...

Tax Reform Bill: Gains and Losses for Ordinary Taxpayers

IS IT giving with one hand and taking with the other? The House of Representatives approved House Bill 5636 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) on its third and final reading on May 31. A total of 246 lawmakers voted for the bill, nine were against...

Tracking Duterte’s Pledges

HOW TO measure the first year of Rodrigo Roa Duterte as president? One way is to review his campaign promises and check how well he has delivered on the commitments he made to the electorate. CMFR cheers the Philippine Daily Inquirer, PhilStar.com, Rappler and GMA-7’s 24 Oras and...

The President’s Conspicuous Absence: Questioning Duterte’s Health

“SINO BANG walang sakit dito na 72 years old? Liars. Ibig sabihin healthy kayo lahat? (Who here is aged 72 with no illness? Liars. Are you saying that all of you are healthy?)” Rodrigo Duterte asked the audience attending the Grand Harvest Festival of SL Agritech Corporation in Nueva Ecija...

Duterte Travels: A Price Check

AMONG THE qualities that have endeared him to his supporters, the president’s simple lifestyle and his disregard for the pomp and circumstance of his office have been notable. Presidential travel and its diplomatic rigors must be a bane he has to endure. Indeed, the media have reported how,...

Education Woes: Looking Into Public School Teacher Surplus, Shortage

THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’s (DepEd) data shows the need for more than 38,000 public school teachers in the country. Ironically, the same database shows a surplus of public school teachers in some cities, especially in the National Capital Region (NCR). CMFR cheers GMA 7’s 24 Oras’ efforts for looking...