Journalism Review Archives | Page 84 of 159

Revilla Plunder Acquittal: Only Some Reports Explained Liability Question

THE PORK barrel scam was arguably the biggest corruption scandal in recent years. The first court decision on one of the high profile cases filed in 2013 was announced on December 7. But it was not the verdict that many had hoped for and caused some amount of public confusion...

Martial Law in Mindanao: With No Security Briefing, Why Extend?

FOR THE third time, martial law in Mindanao has been extended. A Joint Session of Congress on December 12 extended its effectivity until December 2019 with a total of 235 affirmative votes, 28 negative and one abstention. In his letter to the 17th Congress, President Rodrigo Duterte said that...

Media Shoot Down ‘Ouster’ List

CHEERS TO online news site InterAksyon and ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol for calling attention to the falsehoods in Paolo Duterte’s Facebook list of individuals and organizations allegedly conspiring to unseat his father. The list was posted on social media but was taken down a day later. Tall Tales The...

Xi State Visit Aftermath: What Joint Energy Exploration?

AMID TENSION over China’s continuing intrusion in the West Philippine Sea, Chinese President Xi Jinping flew to the Philippines on November 20 for a two-day state visit. It was the first by a Chinese head of state in 13 years, and during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte whose...

Reporting the Hearing on Foreign Workers: More Information Needed

THE CREATION of enough jobs for Filipinos has challenged every administration. The Philippine Statistics Authority’s October 2018 Labor Force Survey recorded a 5.1 percent unemployment rate. The Social Weather Stations’ Third Quarter 2018 Survey published on November 10, meanwhile, pegged adult joblessness at twenty-two percent or an estimated 9.8...

Mega Rehab Center Woes: Addict Rehabilitation Not a Government Priority

THE KILLING of alleged drug users and petty traders makes the news on a daily basis, but the rehabilitation of drug addicts remains underreported. Few media reports have looked at the situation in the country’s rehab centers, among them the largest facility in the country, the Drug Abuse...

Paalam, Filipino? Unanswered Questions on CHED Memo 20

ON NOVEMBER 10, the Supreme Court (SC) lifted the 2015 temporary restraining order (TRO) on the implementation of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum 20. It upheld the removal of Filipino, Panitikan (Literature) and the Constitution as core subjects in the college curriculum. The coverage reported the decision and provided...

Imelda’s Graft Conviction: Knowledge of Legal Procedures a Must in Reporting the Case

MEDIA’S EYES may have been on Imelda Marcos, but reports may have missed the legal issues. The Sandiganbayan 5th division found former First Lady and incumbent Ilocos Norte 2nd District Representative Imelda Marcos guilty of seven counts of graft. The Court said that the former First Lady funneled...

Too Much, Too Soon: Premature Campaigning via Media Exposure

AS THE midterm elections draw near, the electorate is once again being deluged with a tsunami of premature campaigning. The official campaign period has yet to begin, but some candidates for public office already have a head start over their rivals. Their names and faces are plastered everywhere,...

Third Telco Race: Not Much Said About the China Connection

Photo from the Department of Information and Communications Technology Facebook page ON NOVEMBER 7, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) declared the Mislatel consortium the provisional new major player (NMP) that will break the duopoly of Globe Telecom and PLDT Inc. over Philippine cell phone and internet services. The...