Journalism Review Archives | Page 64 of 159

Media’s critical lens spotlights call for “revolutionary government”

THE POINT of a “revolutionary government” seemed lost on a group of Duterte supporters who trooped to Clark Freeport in Pampanga on August 22 to support the People’s National Coalition for Revolutionary Government and Charter Change. Historically, revolutionary government involves the insurgent or seditious takeover of state power from...

Media an echo chamber for official chorus on Duterte’s health

IT WAS netizens rather than the media who pieced together seemingly unrelated events that led to rumors about President Rodrigo Duterte’s whereabouts and his health. Online speculation was triggered by a Facebook post from user Josef Leroi Garcia on Sunday morning, August 16, about a medical plane from Singapore...

Call for timeout: What was accomplished?

THE MEDICAL community’s distress call to the government last August 1 was clear in its purpose: representatives of medical associations asked for a two-week timeout to allow them to review, refresh and renew their capacity to attend to the increasing demands of the COVID-19 crisis. The members of the...

Media follow government lead in reporting historic economic recession

THE GOVERNMENT announced the country’s first recession in three decades on August 6. At a press conference, the administration’s economic managers reported that in the second quarter of 2020, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) plunged by a record 16.5 percent. In a separate press briefing, Undersecretary Claire Dennis...

Media fail to challenge government spin as PH tops Southeast Asia in COVID cases

SINGAPORE-BASED Straits Times reported on August 5 that the Philippines was likely to be Asia’s COVID-19 hotspot as it recorded 6,532 new infections, the highest in a single day. Government officials quickly reacted in an attempt to control the narrative. On August 6, NTF’s Vince Dizon, president of Bases...

Media failed to probe record-breaking “mass recovery” numbers

DOH DREW flak for reporting an unexpected surge of COVID-19 recoveries amid the continued increase in the number of cases. On July 30, the health department reported a record-breaking 38,075 new recoveries, surpassing the previous total number recorded at 26,996. It reported a whopping total of 65,064. In a...

Distress call from the health sector: Media only scratch the surface

FINALLY, the medical community has spoken, pleading for relief for its front liners. In a video conference organized by the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) last August 1, a group of doctors and nurses called on the government to place “Mega Manila”once again under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for...

SONA in the time of COVID: Media capture the letdown

THE COVID-19 pandemic tempered the usual pomp and circumstance that accompanies the State of the Nation Address (SONA). Government preparations for this year’s SONA required heightened health protocols, such as COVID-19 testing for those attending and who were allowed into the Batasang Pambansa, while others joined via teleconferencing. Coverage...

COVID superspreader decisions: Media should hold government accountable

THE MEDIA did not miss the sorry spectacle of thousands crammed in the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. The category of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) now includes people who want to return to their home provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao. They flocked to the stadium to avail of free...

High profile deaths in Bilibid: Media flag possible cover-up

THE BUREAU of Corrections (BuCor) is again in hot water, with the scandal over the application of the GCTA to benefit even those who had been convicted of capital crimes still fresh in the public mind. On July 19, the media reported obtaining a death certificate of one Jaybee...