Journalism Review Archives | Page 121 of 159

Disqualification Case Vs Duterte: Overlooked by the Press

THE CERTIFICATE of Candidacy (COC) that anyone aspiring for public office in the Philippines has to fill out accurately is sacrosanct in a democracy. That is why all candidates have to swear an oath attesting to the veracity of the COC before an officer of the law. The...

Elections and Political Dynasties: Lack of Context, Wrong Focus

JEERS TO ABS-CBN News for a report that relied mainly on one politician as its source, and which failed to locate the story in the context of dynastic politics in Cavite province and its impact on democratic elections. On February 9, ABS-CBN 2’s “Kampanyaserye (Campaign Series)” ran “Cavite and...

A Simple Crime Story Sensationalized

JEERS TO the Manila Bulletin for sensationalizing what could have been a simple crime report. On February 5, Bulletin reported a shooting incident involving Maricel Ramos, a resident of Bohol, and the family of her live-in partner, PO1 Rosalie Cuario, Ramos’s live-in partner. According to the report, Ramos went...

Mamasapano Revisited: The Press Got Played

SENATE HEARINGS in aid of legislation are an important part of democracy. The very nature of these hearings – senators have subpoena and contempt powers and are immune from legal action – make them a potentially great venue for ferreting out the truth on issues of national import....

Examining the Mamasapano Impact on Peace

CHEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for running a two-part series examining the impact of the Mamasapano incident on peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The daily broadsheet ran the series during the week when the incident marked its first anniversary. On...

DNA Test: A Hoax, a Non-Story

JEERS TO the Manila Bulletin for a headline that misled the reader into thinking that the article was about an authentic document but, as the report itself said, was actually fake. In the lead of its report “’DNA test’ on Bongbong shows he’s related to Poe” published last...

SSS: Failure of Public Policy Reporting

CRITICISM RAINED on President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III for his veto of House Bill 5842 that sought to increase by PHP 2,000 the monthly Social Security System (SSS) pension. Given the current context – it’s election season and there are two million pensioners who are potential voters –...

Mamasapano, a Year Later

CHEERS TO ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol and CNN Philippines’ Network News for exploring developments and other issues in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, a year after the clash between the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and other armed groups on January 25, 2015. The...

Revisiting Arroyo’s Plunder Case

CHEERS TO Rappler.com for its efforts to revisit former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s plunder case, coinciding with the fifteenth anniversary of the protest action known as “EDSA Dos” or People Power II that ousted Joseph Estrada in 2001. Rappler posted “What has happened to the Arroyo plunder case?” on January...

RH Law Budget Cut: Ambushed and Out of the Loop

THE SLASHING last December of the Department of Health’s billion-peso budget for family planning commodities caught reproductive health advocates off-guard. DOH Secretary Janette Garin said she herself was unaware of the cut and only learned of it on January 4. She said the cut was made during the...