We will not surrender our freedomsToday, Independence Day, we renew our pledge to serve the people, to continue speaking truth to power, and to guard and defend freedom of the press and of expression from all threats.Read More Covering the PandemicRead more Covering the CoViD-19 Pandemic Initial coverage on nCoV threat: Some media organize information better than others ON DECEMBER 31, 2019, overseas news reported an outbreak of a “mysterious” respiratory disease spreading in China. By January 7, 2020, Chinese health authorities had identified the disease as a new type of the coronavirus, now referred to as the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV). Reports said experts suspect that... ICC complaint withdrawal: Does it Matter? ON JANUARY 14, lawyer and International Criminal Court (ICC) complainant Jude Sabio announced that he would withdraw his complaint. He said that he realized the complaint he filed before the ICC in 2017 alleging that President Rodrigo Duterte is guilty of crimes against humanity was driven by “political propaganda”... Problematic numbers: Reporting the “Duterte Legacy” WITH TWO more years to go, the Duterte administration seems overly concerned with drumming up publicity over its legacy. The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) launched a “Duterte Legacy” campaign on January 17, which Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said focuses on accomplishments in three key areas: peace and order,... Contextualizing news: TV reports capture irony of Chinese Coast Guard “friendly” visit WHOAH! IT’S the Philipiine Coast Guard (PCG) making “nice-nice” with the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG). How should any self-respecting journalist report the event? With tongue in cheek or a strong dose of skepticism which would call for context – in order to tell more about the real story than... National protocols for animal protection during disasters needed WHEN THE Taal Volcano began spewing ash on January 12, the residents of the communities surrounding the picturesque landmark evacuated, taking with them their possessions. But as droves of affected locals made the exodus, countless animals – precious pets and livestock alike – were left behind. The rescue of... The challenge of Taal Volcano TAAL VOLCANO’s eruption on Sunday, January 12, tested the capacity of the media to cover a completely different kind of disaster. Many of those who were called out to the field were too young to have experienced Mt. Pinatubo’s blast in 1991. It also put to test the gains... A piece of PR: Supposed approval by indigenous people of Kaliwa Dam IN THE age of social media, news readers often find themselves just scanning newspapers and seldom going beyond the headlines. A misleading headline fixes the falsehood in the public mind. Another bad habit and ethical failure in the news business is the use of the press release as the... Media’s missed cues: How Robredo’s report on drug war was above politics VICE PRESIDENT Leni Robredo’s report of her findings about the government’s controversial anti-illegal drug campaign was carefully written to focus on substantive observations. She employed a style devoid of rhetorical flourish. The report itself is free of any innuendo suggesting that any official had done wrong. In noting the... US-Iran tension: Is there a policy to address the crisis? AHEAD OF his Senate impeachment trial, US President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on January 3. The Pentagon said in a statement that Soleimani was planning to attack American diplomats and service members in the Middle East, and that the assassination was meant... Crony Capitalism Reprised? Looking into the ABS-CBN Issue and Uy The president’s verbal attacks against ABS-CBN had not triggered the kind of coverage of a major threat to press freedom in the Philippines (See link: “A lack of media attention: Duterte’s threat against ABS-CBN”). But his recent statements suggest that the closure of this giant media enterprise also reflects... « Previous1…6970717273…202Next »
