Journalism Review Archives | Page 75 of 159

Not newsworthy: Duterte’s slur against Rappler journalists

THREE YEARS into his term, President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades against his critics and the independent press have become predictable and pointless. They don’t contribute to public understanding of the issues, and often discourage citizen engagement in public discourse or derails from more rational policy discussions. Calling people and various...

Reporting the missing link: BuCor official’s death and the GCTA racket

CHEERS TO Interaksyon for a quick follow-up, immediately reporting on the possible link between the death of Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) official Ruperto Traya Jr. and the “aborted release” of former Calauan Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez. On August 27, Traya, Chief Administrative Officer 3 of BuCor, was shot dead...

The traffic problem: Can media help?

HOW WILL the government solve Metro Manila’s worsening traffic problem? The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is running out of ideas. And it seems all media can do is report the failed attempts, as traffic has worsened dramatically in recent weeks. The obvious reasons are the road building and...

Good conduct time allowance controversy: More explanation, analysis needed

WHEN THE Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed on August 20 that former Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez could soon walk free, the public was rightfully outraged. Sanchez was found guilty of the rape-slay of University of the Philippines Los Baños students Eileen Sarmenta...

Inquirer spotlights Philippine wildlife trafficking

PHILIPPINE NATURAL resources have been exploited and abused on so many levels. But media have not fixed their attention on this problem and reports rarely focus on the detrimental impact of human activity on biodiversity. The ordinary Filipino has little knowledge of the country’s flora and fauna, and few...

Being more critical of official sources

ON AUGUST 14, the Mindanao Goldstar Daily covered the Northern Mindanao Police’s news conference which presented to the media three alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) who had supposedly surrendered to the police. Police officials claimed that one was an organizer of Anakpawis, a party-list organization known...

GMA News Online sheds light on farmers’ plight

ANY COUNTRY’S food security primarily depends on its farmers. But in the predominantly agricultural country that is the Philippines, they ironically receive little or no attention. Media stories on agricultural issues often focus on the politicians debating a policy question or issue. CMFR cheers GMA News Online for its...

Gifts for officials: Reports cited the law on gifts, OpEd took clear position on the issue

SHOULD PUBLIC servants accept gifts? When President Rodrigo Duterte said that accepting gifts is not a form of bribery and is allowed by law, media responded to correct his interpretation. The president was speaking during the 118th service anniversary of the Philippine National Police (PNP). “What I mean ...

Latest Marcos case dismissal: Media show little interest

EFFORTS TO recover the billions in public funds allegedly stolen by the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his cronies have suffered another blow. In an August 5 ruling made public two days later, the Sandiganbayan’s Second Division dismissed a PHP102 billion forfeiture case involving the alleged...

Dengvaxia revival amid national dengue epidemic calls for more information

WITH THE continuing surge in the number of dengue cases, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III issued a national dengue epidemic alert on August 6. During the period from January to July 20 this year, the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 146,062 cases of dengue – 98% more than in 2018....