Remembering November 23: Waning Media Attention

Kin of victims and press freedom advocates marched from Morayta to Mediola in Manila on Nov. 23 to commemorate the Ampatuan massacre’s seventh anniversary and demand justice. | Photo by Luis Adrian Hidalgo, CMFR.

SEVEN YEARS later, the anniversary of the massacre in Ampatuan did not quite get the kind of coverage it deserved – not the kind that will rouse the public to recall the killing of 58 civilians, 32 of whom were journalists on November 23, 2009. The accused include members of a political clan who were in control of Maguindanao province at the time. The Ampatuans were also recognized as close allies of then President Gloria Arroyo. Media members had joined a convoy of the wife of a rival politician who was going to file the certificate of candidacy for her husband, Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu.

The tragedy was recognized by international press freedom organizations as the single most deadly strike against journalists in the world.  The date was cited for consideration for the International Day to End Impunity (observed on Nov. 2) and noted locally as the most blatant example of election-related violence in the country.  In 2016, the milestone of the mass murder lost out to current horrors in the news.

On Nov. 18, the Marcos family sneaked into the Libingan ng mga Bayani to bury the remains of the dictator, sparking the eruption of protest rallies that have yet to cease. On Nov. 23, Senate scheduled the hearing to question fugitive drug lord, Kerwin Espinosa.

The Marcos burial and Espinosa’s questioning in the Senate took over the usual media run-up to remind the public about upcoming events. Because so many of the victims were journalists, most news organizations have faithfully drummed up campaigns to call attention to the slow pace of the trial of the accused in court.

CMFR reviewed coverage of primetime newscasts (ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol, GMA-7’s 24 Oras, TV5’s Aksyon, and CNN Philippines’ Network News) as well as the three major broadsheets (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Bulletin and The Philippine Star) from Nov. 21 to 24 and found a seemingly waning interest to sustain attention on the massacre and the trial’s status.

None of the commemoration events were covered live. The memorial ceremony on the Ampatuan hillside on Nov. 20 which were attended by media groups and victims’ families was not reported until Nov. 22 and only by TV Patrol and 24 Oras. The protest march on the morning of Nov. 23 from Morayta to Mendiola was reported on TV news shows in the evening of Nov. 23 but was not among the day’s top stories. Combined, primetime newscasts had a total of seven stories on the massacre’s 7^th year.

None of the three leading broadsheets published a story on the march or any of the activities on the 23rd. The Manila Bulletin had a story on Nov. 22, reporting on calls for justice issued by different groups. (“Calls for justice persist on Maguindano massacre’s 7^th year”). The three leading broadsheets published a total of nine stories.

The Inquirer had the most number of stories and the most diverse in topics, ranging from rifts between groups of policemen who were detained over the massacre, relatives of the victims who have already died waiting for justice and families seeking help from the Duterte administration. These were published on the 23^rd, 24^th and 25^th. The Philippine Star ran a story in their front page (“Maguindanao massacre conviction seen under Rody,” Nov. 23) while the Inquirer had a banner photo to go with its story inside the news section.

“The trial of 195 accused in the Ampatuan massacre was designed for delay,” CMFR said in its statement.  The long wait must be wearing down patience and faith in the judicial system. All the more reason then for collective remembrance that nurtures a renewed sense of vigilance. Or we could slip once again into a state of forgetfulness.