Newspapers, big and small, learn the same lessons: Life isn’t easy

Newspapers, big and small, learn the same lessons
Life isn’t easy
By Hector Bryant L. Macale

A tabloid may be smaller and leaner than a broadsheet, but that doesn’t mean it is easier to produce.

As in other media, a major problem in tabloids is corruption. “Sabi nga, mas masahol pa ang media sa pulis (when it comes to corruption). Hindi nga lang bulgar,” Eduardo Maglabe, managing editor of Bulgar, told PJR Reports. “Iba ang laro rito sa tri-media. Ang dumi,” he added. Bulgar is one of the country’s top-selling tabloids.

Maglabe says there are journalists on the payroll of politicians while some go for one-shot deals like receiving money for favorable stories. There are those who defend a source or “client,” while others take on the role of hard-hitting journalists, criticizing their client’s enemies. Some arrange-ments don’t need much work—they just make sure that all the negative news about the client are not written, published, or aired.

Corruption in media, particularly among tabloids, is at its worst during election time.

“Kapag ganitong mga panahon na, maraming lumalapit,” Fred Cabalbag, opinion editor of Remate, said in an Oct. 23 interview. When asked how frequent these requests come, he said, “Araw-araw.”

Cabalbag admitted that Remate accommodates stories from politicians (usually mayors and councilors) and sometimes from businessmen. He said these stories often become “secondary banners” of the paper since the “main” story is reserved for legitimate news.

Concession to politicos
Remate has several “banners” on the front page, with two or three stories focusing on political issues. “Concession sa mga pulitiko ito,” explained Cabalbag, as he showed several banner stories that were based on press releases from politicians.

Those who want their stories used as the main headline would offer to buy several thousand copies of the paper, said Cabalbag. So far, the biggest order Remate got out of accom-modating stories was 100,000 copies. At eight pesos per copy, this meant Remate made P800,000 in just one deal.

According to Cabalbag, Remate only negotiates for stories that are purely intended for the politician’s propaganda or “pa-pogi” purposes. “May negotiation doon,” he said. “Otherwise, hindi lalabas iyon. Kasi pampa-pogi lang iyon.”

But if the stories discuss legitimate issues, he said, “Kahit na galing sa pulitiko, hindi ka na magde-demand.”

He stressed that Remate does not solicit press releases from politicians. “Kung minsan, pulitiko na ang lumalapit. Hindi mo na kailangang lumapit,” he said.

Cabalbag justified his paper’s questionable news-and-money-generating practice by pointing out that everybody else in media is doing it, too. He also cited the rising production costs of running a tabloid.

“We are spending P3 million a month,” he said, adding “Paano namin babawiin iyon?”

Ego and pride are factors, too. When people ask to print their press releases, “at least, kinikilala nila iyong diyaryo mo,” Cabalbag said. “Matuwa ka kasi kakilala ka.”

“Walang bearing ang freedom of the press,” Cabalbag said, adding that when he was younger, he used to be a press union organizer fighting for press freedom. Now that he is a media executive, his views have obviously changed.

Have space, will print
Augusto Villanueva, editor of the newspaper chain Journal Group of Publications, said the company gets many requests from politicians’ camps to publish press releases. If the story is newsworthy and not libelous, the Journal publishes it, said Villanueva, who edits the group’s three tabloids (People’s Journal, People’s Tonight and People’s Taliba) and two magazines (People’s Insider and Women’s Journal).

“My philosophy is simple. If we have space and I’m given a newsworthy story and it’s not libelous, I’ll print it,” he said.

According to Villanueva, politicians buy many copies of the tabloid from the newsstands when favorable stories about them come out. “Without our knowing, they order 100 copies,” he said. He stressed, however, that his company does not negotiate with politicians to accommodate stories.

Accommodating press releases from politicians always involves money.

“Hindi ka naman marunong makisama kapag hindi mo pinagbigyan,” Maglabe said. “Parang damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” He said media people should master another art besides writing: “Ang kailangan na lang marunong kang sumayaw sa tugtog.”

What bothers Villanueva more are journalists who are either on the payroll of a politician or receive money from him.

He said he investigates such reporters and editors once he hears that they are on the take.

Maglabe, on the other hand, said it is hard to track down corrupt journalists outside the newsroom. “To be honest, hindi ko maipapangako na sa labas, kontrolado namin,” he said. “Iba ang kalakaran sa labas, iba laban diyan. Puwedeng makipagkita ang correspondent namin nang hindi namin nalalaman.”

Maglabe, however, added that while it may not be easy to check on corruption outside the newsroom, he could do something to prevent the stories from being published.

Low pay
Corruption in tabloids, the editors argued, is partly due to low salaries. Some tabloids give their reporters a weekly allowance of only P500, Villanueva said. “(These tabloid journalists) have a family, they have children to send to school, houses to rent. They don’t have a car; they use public transportation. Saan kukuha ng pambayad iyon?”

Still, Maglabe says low pay doesn’t justify corruption. “Alam naman natin na maliit ang kita. Bakit ka pa nag-media? Eh di tiiisin mo kung magkano makukuha mo. Gusto mo, eh.”

For Pinoy Weekly editor-in-chief Rogelio Ordoñez, however, corruption and low pay are not the most pressing problems in his paper, which he described as an alternative tabloid with many idealistic journalists. Rising production costs and small circulation are the more troubling concerns, he said.

Pinoy Weekly has no printing press of its own, making production more expensive. These costs might force them to increase the price of the weekly tabloid, which runs about 25,000 copies every issue. At present, Pinoy Weekly costs only P6, making it one of the most affordable tabloids in the market. According to Ordoñez, they are planning to convert the tabloid into a magazine.

The tabloid’s strong circulation in the provinces and in other countries, he said, helps in shoring up finances.

According to Ordoñez, from the start Pinoy Weekly never tried to compete with the other tabloids. “We just wanted to be different,” he said.

And it is. If other tabloids are known for their sensationalized stories on crime and sex or splashy entertainment and sports pages, Pinoy Weekly comes across as a serious paper with analyses on issues affecting citizens, especially the marginalized.

“Hindi ka puwedeng sumabay sa Bulgar o Toro,” Ordoñez said. He said the patrons of those papers are people who have no time to read. “Eh ang contents ng Pinoy Weekly kailangan mo talagang basahin,” he added.

Ordoñez admitted that the market is probably not yet ready for serious tabloids. “Pero sabi ko nga, why not? Let’s try,” he said. “When will we start with a serious tabloid or magazine?”

Sad memory
The case for a serious tabloid reminds one of the market of the Pinoy Times, which played a major role in the People Power II uprising in 2001. The tabloid, whose daily circulation at some point reached 170,000 and a weekend special issue with a million copies, lasted only two years and three months.

Distribution is crucial in the newspaper business and newspaper dealer organizations asking for a high price to distribute the tabloid is a big problem, according to Ordoñez. Dealer organizations can make or break a media outfit because they have the power and reach to distribute the tabloids and make them available to the public.

Ordoñez is not alone in facing this problem. Cabalbag and Villanueva also have similar problems when it comes to the tabloid dealers.

“Where pre-martial law People’s Journal and Tonight had a relatively monopolistic hold on the market (and if they continue to dominate the tabloid market, surely it has to do largely with head start),” veteran journalist and media critic Vergel Santos wrote in an email to PJR Reports, “today’s tabloids are operating in a free environment, indeed in an overcrowded market, and at much higher costs.”

Santos, who sits as the chair of the board of Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and serves as BusinessWorld’s editorial consultant, helped in founding People’s Journal (and later inspired sister publication People’s Tonight to come out). The  idea, he said, came from his thesis.

Because of current realities, Santos said “today’s tabloids are undercapitalized; consequently, not only are they understaffed, but what staffs they have are under-skilled.”

“And yet, with all these disadvantages,” he said, “they try to outdo one another using tricks so desperate it is difficult to rationalize them within the limits of good taste, never mind good journalism.”

Philippine Press Institute executive director Jose Pavia said he would like to see more news-oriented tabloids. What we have right now are niche tabloids that cater to certain publics, he said.

Tabloids should have the same journalistic standards as the broadsheets, according to Pavia. He said the ones setting a different standard for tabloids are the owners and editors themselves.

Newspapers, including tabloids, Pavia said, should lead society in understanding the issues that matter. “But right now, the newspaper is just a follower. What is it following?” he asked. “The money, the smell of money.”

Comments are closed.