Journalism Review Archives | Page 96 of 159

Premature release of Report on Dengvaxia: Media complies with political agenda

Screengrab from Inquirer.net. THE POLICY controversy triggered by Dengvaxia continues to stir more political heat as news covered the release of a draft of the report prepared by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, called a press conference to present...

Report on Loose Firearms in Lanao del Sur: Guns Trivialized and Moros Stereotyped

Screengrab from Facebook page of Inquirer. JEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for a story which confined gun proliferation to Moros and a headline which trivialized the serious issue. The Inquirer published “Martial law disrupts Moro love affair with guns” on April 16, reporting on the disarmament campaign...

Approval Ratings: More than just Numbers

IN THE March 2018 SWS survey, the president retained his “very good” net satisfaction rating despite dipping two points from his December 2017 mark. Most news reports highlighted these numbers with little explanatory note, except that he still retains a high level of approval and satisfaction among Filipinos....

Media on Sereno’s Trials: Missing the Larger Crisis

IN THE last month, the threat to remove Maria Lourdes Sereno as the Philippines’ Chief Justice of the Supreme Court stirred up even more controversy. On March 1, Sereno was forced to go on leave indefinitely in an obvious attempt to force her to resign. She did not....

Understanding K-12: Not Black or White

THE K-12 program added 2 years to the basic education system, opening Senior High School (SHS). The Department of Education (DepEd) designed the SHS program to produce graduates better prepared for higher education. Without a college degree, these students should be ready for entrepreneurship or the job market....

Boracay Shutdown: Where is the Master Plan?

IS THE government ready to do the job in Boracay? If President Rodrigo Duterte’s words are any indication, then it is not. He himself said during a press briefing on April 9 that there is no master plan. “Master plan, wala akong master plan. Linisin ko muna ‘yan...

Restarting Peace Talks: Reports Holding Back on Hope

ANOTHER CHAPTER looms in the on-again, off-again peace talks between the government (GRP) and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples’ Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) as both parties now claim that they are willing to resume negotiations. On March 25, 61 members of the lower house signed House...

VP Vote Recount: Filipinos in the Dark about PET System and Process

FRAUD AND charges of cheating have marred most Philippine elections. The 2016 national polls was no exception, with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., claiming he was cheated out of his votes for the vice presidency by then candidate Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, who was declared the second highest official...

Before it is too Late: The Importance of Checks on State Surveillance

CHEERS TO Rappler for its in-depth two-part series explaining the extent and implications of state surveillance. The first part, published on March 16, examined the problems that arise from state surveillance, particularly the lack of transparency among agencies that conduct intelligence gathering. In the report, Jam Jacob of...

Casual Reporting on New Crackdown

JEERS TO the Manila Bulletin for its casual reporting on the president’s latest round of threats, this time issued against drivers and operators of unregistered public utility vehicles (PUV) (commonly called colorum). Speaking at the 16th founding anniversary of the Supreme Tribal Council for Peace and Development Inc....