Reporting Mindanao: A Dangerous Place?
JEERS TO the Manila Bulletin for an irresponsible headline which generalized Mindanao as a dangerous place for travelers.
The Bulletin on October 9 published this headline “How safe is Mindanao?” The deck read “Australia issues travel warning on citizens visiting southern region.”
The headline implied that Mindanao as a whole is not safe for tourists. The article said: “If you are in central and western Mindanao, you should leave immediately.” It identified areas in eastern, central and western Mindanao that were included in the travel warning.
Ten other cities and provinces in Mindanao were not in the list.
The report said that while “there is a high threat of kidnapping throughout the Philippines, threat is highest in the southern part of the country.” It cited kidnappings in some areas of Mindanao, armed conflicts, and piracy as reasons why these areas were included in the list.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) was the report’s only source of information.
The report focused on violence and gave no space for peace initiatives.
It’s really sad that Balance reporting was not used. Such a basic journalism ethics.
Thanks for the comment, Kent. Have you seen similar reports? Please share them with us for the Cheers and Jeers section.