Journalism Review Archives | Page 78 of 159

Amnesty International on the “Drug War”: Media Took Little Interest

AMID RISING international concern about the spate of killings in the Philippines, the London-based human rights group Amnesty International (AI) released a new report on the Duterte administration’s war on drugs last July 8, its second on the subject since January 2017. The report highlighted their findings, including that...

Youngest Drug War Victim’s Death: Media Echo Official’s Indifference

JEERS TO the media for their uncritical reporting on the latest child casualty in the Duterte “drug war,” with coverage so bereft of context. Three year-old Kateleen Myca Ulpina was killed in a June 30 police operation that targeted her father, whom police said was a drug dealer. Police...

Tooting the Palace Horn: Malacañang PR for Banner

THE DUTERTE Administration has been most adept in the use of propaganda for everything it does; social media influencers supplement the messages that run freely through government media. It does not really need mainstream media to add to the flow of self-praise. And yet, some news organizations lend their...

The Recto Bank “Incident”: Government Narrative Trumps Survivors’ Accounts

ALMOST A month after the incident, public interest has remained fixed on the issues raised by the ramming and sinking of the Filipino fishing vessel in the West Philippine Sea. The accounts given by the victims and the Vietnamese fishermen who came to rescue Filipinos attest to the facts:...

Bomb Attack Underscores the Failure of Martial Law in Mindanao

MARTIAL LAW has been in effect in Mindanao since May 2017. And yet the region has continued to suffer from bomb attacks. So far, there have been at least 7 bombing incidents reported during the period; the latest on June 28. Two explosions rocked the camp of the 1st...

Come Hell or No Water: The Continuing Crisis

CHEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for pointing out that the water shortage has been a continuing crisis in Metro Manila since March and that some areas have been suffering from extended water interruptions all this time. Both Metro Manila water concessionaires—Maynilad and Manila Water— announced new schedules of...

The Kapa Ministry Issue: The Separation of Church and State Explained

MEDIA PICKED up on the questionable activities of Kapa (Kabus Padatoon or poor will be rich) Community Ministry Inc., a Surigao del Sur-based religious group, when President Rodrigo Duterte ordered it shut down in a TV guesting, saying it is running an investment scam. Members were quick to call...

Reporting “Drug War” Deaths: Numbers Are Meaningless Without Analysis

IT HAS been three years since the Duterte regime’s “war on drugs” was implemented. Thousands of suspected drug users and pushers have been reported killed. But the exact number of these deaths has yet to be established, as government figures and those of human rights groups continue to clash....

Graphic Photos, Video Make it on TV, Online

JEERS TO a weekend newscast for airing in full color a video clip of a fatal accident involving a meat shop employee in Iloilo City on Saturday, June 22. Several online news sites and their social media pages also erred in publishing still photos of the same accident. Reports...

Covering the Race for Speaker: Cheers to ANC and TV5

CHEERS TO ANC’s Early Edition and TV5 Aksyon’s explainer for reports that underscored the importance of legislative independence in the lower chamber of the 18th Congress. Most of the coverage focused on the aspirants and developments indicating how strongly they were favored by the president. Early Edition host Christian...