Journalism Review Archives | Page 112 of 159

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...

The Drug War from the Perspective of Those Covering It

CHEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for its three pieces on the administration’s drug war. Written from the perspective of the media people covering it, the folio of articles also provided a breakdown of data gathered about the deaths that campaign has so far amassed. On Oct. 15,...

Documenting Social Media Abuse

CHEERS TO Rappler for its investigation of the fake social media accounts, trolls and bogus sites during the elections and its application as propaganda afterwards. The misuse and abuse of the social media for political purposes affects the quality of democratic discourse about public issues and concerns. Rappler posted...

Information Access: On Paper but Not in Practice

CHEERS TO the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) for reporting the failure of some government agencies to respond to its requests for information on the conduct of the administration’s anti-drug campaign. PCIJ reported that 40 days since it and the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) sent access-to-information...