Overreaching Headline Claims “Diplomatic Strategy”

CMFR File Photo.

JEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for inaccurately implying that a “diplomatic strategy” was discussed in a meeting between the Philippines and the US Pacific Command (PACOM) held last May 20 in Hawaii.

Despite what the headline, “PH officials explain to US commander diplomatic strategy in row with China,” suggests, the May 21 report did not mention any concrete strategy that would address the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines. Instead, the Inquirer reported on the Philippines and the United States reaffirming their resolve to strengthen their alliance.

The report also quoted a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on the South China Sea: “The Philippine delegation underscored that the deliberate and nuanced diplomacy by the Duterte administration had lowered tensions in the region and resulted in clear economic gains for the Philippines in terms of access to marine resources, protection of the marine ecology, and the potential to explore oil and gas resources.”

Inquirer’s headline suggests the DFA has a “deliberate and nuanced diplomacy” that serves the current situation with China building military outposts on PH waters – but the article does not provide any information about such a strategy nor even any information that supports the idea that the DFA is even making such a claim for itself. Such a headline serves the purpose of propaganda, creating the false impression that the DFA is involved in a diplomatic maneuver to respond to China’s challenge.

Other news organizations were careful not to make this mistake. Rappler (“Top PH officials meet U.S. Pacific Command chief in Hawaii”), Manila Bulletin (“PH, US renew ties in Hawaii meeting – Palace”) and The Philippine Star (“Philippines, US reaffirm alliance for regional stability”) also ran the story but focused on the reaffirmation of ties between the United States and the Philippines.

Headlines are just as important as the story and in this age of click-bait news, ambiguities often mislead readers. In a previous monitor, CMFR notes that a false headline is an affront to the reporter who wrote the story and to the public that the press is mandated to serve (See: “Misleading headlines are bad for the press and public”).