Misleading headline

Screengrab from Inquirer.net

JEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for using the misleading verb “snub” in a report on the proclamation of the incoming president and vice president which Davao City Mayor and president-elect Rodigo Duterte’s skipped.

The Inquirer had “Duterte snubs proclamation” for its May 31 banner story, which reported on the proclamation of the winners for the top two posts in a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. Camarines Sur representative and now Vice President-elect Leni Robredo was present in the session while Duterte, “snubbed” it to “wrap up chores as outgoing mayor of Davao City,” the report said.

The use of “snub” in the Inquirer headline is misleading, as it actually means not accepting or attending an event to show disapproval.

Reports that Duterte would not attend the proclamation had been making the rounds days before the actual joint session of Congress, which canvassed the votes for the top two posts. According to reports, the feisty mayor normally does not attend such events and would not do so this time.

Other broadsheets such as The Philippine Star (“Proclamation pushes through sans Rody”) and the Manila Bulletin (“Congress pushes through with proclamation without Duterte”) also ran front page stories on the matter,  but used more neutral words to describe the absence of Duterte.