Journalism Review Archives | Page 103 of 159

Ozamiz Raid: Of Regularity and Irregularities

PRESIDENT RODRIGO Duterte just crossed out another name in his narco-politicians’ list with the bloody raid on the residential compound of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr.The attack left 15 people dead, including the mayor, his wife, brother, nephew, members of his household and security guards. Parojinog was...

Media and the SONA 2017

THE STATE of the Nation Address (SONA) serves as a scorecard for both the president and the public to assess government performance. Government and the people also look to this ritual speech as a source of direction and guidance as to where the leader is taking the country....

So Much to Learn About the Weather

“THESE RAINS were not predicted to be any more unusual than typical monsoon rains. On and off. Not a continuous downpour. No warning signals were issued,” said Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte who was acting in behalf of Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista who was abroad at the time....

Duterte Travel Expenses in Anticipation of Gains

BECAUSE PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte travels more, it follows that his travel costs probably exceed those of his predecessors. In fact, reports on his trips abroad pointed to a 300 percent increase of Benigno Aquino III’s travel expenses. The president’s officials have made much of what these trips stand...

Marawi Crisis: Beyond the Fighting

IT WAS a crisis the military said was under control since Day One. Two months later, the fighting continues, 500 lives lost, and around 300,000 displaced from their homes. Marawi City lies in ruins and martial law casts its shadow over all of Mindanao. The fighting began on...

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...