Journalism Review Archives | Page 119 of 159

No Contest: Reporting Unopposed Candidates

CHEERS TO several media organizations for looking into and reporting on the phenomenon of candidates for various posts who are running unopposed — an issue crucial to the health of Philippine democracy but rarely gets media mileage during elections. Because elections in a democracy are all about choice, the...

$81-Million Bank Heist: Unnecessary, Irrelevant Racial Reference

JEERS TO the Manila Bulletin, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and The Philippine Star for its repeated and often unnecessary and irrelevant racial reference to the suspects in the money laundering scandal implicating the a branch manager of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) and businessmen involved in casino...

Disguising Ads as Editorial Content

JEERS TO three major dailies for passing off an advertisement as editorial content. On March 15, 2016, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Philippine Star, and the Manila Bulletin ran a photo of McDonald’s promotional “4th National Breakfast Day” on their respective front pages. The photos appeared in the papers...

Gaming the Party-List System

CHEERS TO Rappler.com for running a story that examined the party-list groups and their nominees for congressional positions. In “2016 party-list nominees: Taking a ‘shortcut’ to Congress?” posted on March 13, Rappler’s Michael Bueza writes that “reelectionists, political dynasts, former congressmen and government officials, and legitimate members of...

Showing the Money Trail

CHEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for its use of an infographic to show the movement of the funds in the money-laundering scandal that erupted early this month. The money trail can be confusing and the graphics surely works better than text. On Feb. 15, the Inquirer accompanied the story...

EDSA People Power: Inadequate Challenge to Marcos Revisionism

THAT THE Marcos family has succeeded in revising history, and fielding Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a candidate for vice president in the 2016 elections is the ultimate proof of the reality of impunity in Philippine society and its failure to exact accountability for corruption and other crimes. The...

Simplifying Survey Terms

CHEERS TO Rappler.com for running a piece explaining and defining the terms often used in the surveys on voter preference for national candidates. Rappler posted “Confused by surveys: What do terms mean?” on Feb. 18, providing an explanation of the terms usually used in surveys. Among the terms...

First Election Debate Goes Pfft: Coverage Filled with Sound bytes and Pull Quotes

GIVEN THE media hype and hoopla surrounding the holding of the first debate, the program went pfft, with little excitement to engage. What substance could have been drawn out from the political exchange was weighed down by mechanics of the format and the burden of too many commercials....

“Baby Snake”: TV5 Slithers Down the Bottom

JEERS TO TV5’s Aksyon Tanghali’s Balita-Serye segment for airing an extended report about a 37-year-old woman in Barangay Palkan, Polomolok, South Cotabato, who supposedly gave birth to a snake. The story first went viral in social media before Aksyon Tonite picked it up on Thursday, February 18, featuring images...

2016 Elections: Tracking Local Politics

CHEERS TO Rappler for collating information regarding the plans for the 2016 elections of the members of the 16th congress. In “MAP: Where will members of Congress go in 2016?,” (Jan. 31, 2016) Rappler provided an interactive map in which each legislative district is color-coded, depending on their...