Journalism Review Archives | Page 111 of 159

On Espinosa Killing: Media’s Investigative Skills Yield Critical Findings

MANY VICTIMS killed in the bloody war on drugs have raised questions about the conduct of police operations. In its fourth month, more Filipinos are wondering whether the guns, which police say were found near the bodies of the slain in supposedly legitimate police operations, were planted. Media...

Marcos Burial: Sidestepping Legal Issues, Ignoring Implications

WITH A vote of 9-5, the Supreme Court has allowed the burial of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The ruling came as the status quo ante order of the Supreme Court, which prevented the proposed burial in consideration of the petitions against...

‘Unheard Voices’: Humanizing the War on Drugs

CHEERS TO ABS-CBN News for running a series of reports on the casualties of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. First published on Oct. 27, “War On Drugs: The Unheard Voices” is a six-part series by the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group that focused on the stories of 50...

Free from Fact: Reuters Checks Duterte’s Figures on Drugs

WHEN President Rodrigo Duterte launched his “war on drugs,” local and international media chronicled the events that were unfolding with daily reports. In July, CMFR noted the superficial reporting by local media (“Anti-Drug Campaign: Swallowing Everything the Police Says”) but succeeding months saw improvements in the coverage of...

Lessons Learned: ‘Lawin’ and Improved Disaster Coverage

LAWIN (International name: Haima) was not only the 12th typhoon to hit the country this year — it was also reported to be as powerful as Yolanda (Haiyan) that struck the Philippines in 2013. But the media’s coverage of the Lawin disaster was significantly better, devoid of the...

US Embassy Protest: A Focus on Violence and Not Much Else

JEERS TO the Manila-based media for focusing on the sensational, overlooking important information in the reports on the Oct. 19 protest at the US Embassy that ended in the violent dispersal of the protesters. In general, the coverage paid more attention to the confrontation between police and protest...

TV News on Duterte’s 100 Days

PRESIDENT DUTERTE is waging an unforgiving war against drugs that has so far claimed over 3,000 lives. He has disparaged human rights as a shield to protect criminals. He has expressed anger and directed expletives at global leaders, foreign governments and the United Nations (UN), including US President Barack...

Vigilantes or Policemen: No Follow Up

JEERS TO several media organizations for their failure to follow up the case of two policemen accused of murdering an anticrime crusader early this month. On Oct. 9, two men on a motorcycle shot and killed Zenaida Luz, 51, in Gloria, Oriental Mindoro. Luz was the Regional Head...

Making Sense of the Surveys: Keep Suspects Alive

THE NUMBERS are out. The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey for the third quarter of 2016 revealed that the majority, or 84 percent, of 1,200 respondents were satisfied with the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign. Eight percent were dissatisfied, with the remaining eight percent undecided. The Duterte administration has...

Carrying Terrorists’ Message

JEERS TO ABS-CBN 2 for airing a video that in violation of established protocols in the coverage of terrorism, disseminated terrorist propaganda. The Oct. 11 exclusive report “Mga terorista, nagsanib-pwersa umano sa Mindanao” used footage of Sarangani-based terror group Ansar al-Khilafah Philippines (AKP). The reporter referred to an...