MediaNation 9Focus on corruption
By Bryant L. Macale, PJR Reports, October-December 2012
THIS YEAR’S “MediaNation (MN) 9” opened with the theme “Corruption in the Media” on Nov. 23, the third anniversary of the 2009 Ampatuan Massacre and the second International Day to End Impunity (IDEI).
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For its story on Media Nation (MN) 9, PJRR sent the forum’s organizers questions related to the event. PJRR was already out of the press when Bart Guingona, one of the conveners, responded to the questions in an email last Dec. 27. As a sidebar to the story’s online version, here are the questions and Guingona’s reply: 1. Aside from pagbabago@pilipinas, who are the other organizers of MN 9? The other conveners were Ging Reyes of ABS-CBN, Howie Severino of GMA-7, Luchi Cruz Valdes of TV 5, Vergel Santos of BusinessWorld, Sandy Prieto-Romualdez and John Nery of Philippine Daily Inquirer, Marites Vitug and Maria Ressa of Rappler, Ramon Tuazon of Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, Red Batario of Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD), Dr. Steven Rood of The Asia Foundation, and Vincent Lazatin of the Transparency and Accountability Network. 2. Media Nation tackled media corruption as this year’s theme. What was the reason behind the choice of the theme? The theme was suggested in 2011 by the conveners of MN8. MN8 was about the Maguindanao Massacre and as in all previous MediaNations, the issue of media corruption cropped up. Media corruption seemed central to all discussions of media reform and yet it was an issue that had never been tackled head on. 3. The CCJD, in a statement posted online, and Vergel Santos, in his email sent to MN organizers, posed their reservations to the timing of MN’s opening on Nov. 23, the 3rd anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre and the 2nd International Day to End Impunity. What is the reaction of the organizers regarding their reservations on holding the summit’s first day on that date? In one of the meetings of conveners, the issue of the coincidental dates was discussed. It was agreed that the best way to honor the memory of our lost media comrades would be to continue in the fight to make things better in the industry. We agreed that this particular edition of MN would be dedicated to the victims of the Maguindanao Massacre. |
The timing puzzled some journalists who thought that while corruption is a real problem in the media, attention to the Massacre should have taken precedence. Julius Mariveles of the Bacolod press community also said that corruption should be addressed, but not on Nov. 23.
Some journalists invited to MediaNation found themselves in the dilemma of having to decide whether to attend the march commemorating the Ampatuan Massacre, or MediaNation 2012.
“We have chosen to join the march to Mendiola for the commemoration of the 3rd anniversary of the Maguindanao Massacre… with the hope that MN9 will send a strong message all journalists…to seriously and squarely address issues that beset practitioners (which lead to) journalists’ vulnerability,” the Center for Community Journalism and Development said in a statement.
The three day “Summit” (from Nov. 23 to 25) held in Tagaytay City was organized, as it is every year, by pagbabago@pilipinas Foundation Inc. Pagbabago@ pilipinas is a civil society organization that is not particularly focused on the media except for MediaNation.
According to the organization’s website, the first MN with the theme “The Citizen as Journalist,” was held in February, 2003. Among the later themes of MN were the “tabloidization” of the news media, the tension between commerce and news gathering and reporting, the rise of “infotainment,” the vulnerability of the media to “spin,” and the hazards of reporting in conflict sites.
The Summit has become “an unprecedented yearly gathering of the most influential news outlets in the Philippines,” the group said in its website.
“(MN),” it continued, “has since served to provide the news media as a sector (the opportunity) to, first, reflect and revisit its ethical foundations, secondly to examine its place in nation building and thirdly and perhaps most importantly, to empower the sector to take unified action in defending the ideals that true journalism stands for.”
Writing about the discussions on media corruption at the Summit, Rappler editor-at-large and veteran journalist Marites Vitug wrote: “Are you prepared for this? Colleagues in the media estimate that 85% of us are corrupt! That’s a super majority.”
“They culled this figure from computations of PR people and media operatives, those who work below the radar screen to bribe us, and anecdotes from the field. That’s the low end, these sources say, because the number can reach a high of 90%, especially during election season!” Vitug added.
“I was shocked to hear this. I felt like Rip Van Winkle awakening to a new, cutting-edge world of corruption in the media after decades of slumber. Why, when I was starting out in the 1980s, it seemed like below 50% were on the take. The forms of corruption were obvious, with cash stuffed in envelopes (being) the most common.” (“Media secrets”, Nov. 26)
Lack of standards
As the summit’s keynote speaker, President Benigno Aquino III said:
“Like any profession imbued with public interest, at the heart of skepticism or even hostility lies the question of conflicts of interest—and with regard to this, there are many questions left unanswered. For instance, what are the parameters concerning endorsements? What are the requirements for sources? And when anyone is unhappy with how a media person conducts himself, what are the mechanisms for redress? Citizens can go to the Ombudsman when it comes to public officials. Who can Juan dela Cruz run to in your industry?
“While the lack of standards that apply throughout your industry does not directly lead to corruption, it does make it easier for corruption to take place. The more discretion you give someone, the more leeway they have to make decisions—not necessarily based on a common set of rules and regulations, but on their own desires,” Aquino said.
Vergel Santos, chairman of the Board of Editors of BusinessWorld, objected to the President’s speaking of corruption in the media “in such a generalized way that it raises the question, Is he doing so to rationalize his dimissive attitude toward the Freedom of Information bill and his approval of the Right of Reply?”
Media corruption is a troubling reality.
And no one could effectively expunge it but the media industry itself. The bigger problem is that no one has the courage to confront the issue head-on.
Media organizations know who are the corrupt ones but even these organizations would not dare confront them. They limit themselves to mere rhetoric. And for as long as industry leaders keep on skirting the issue it will never be resolved and will grow like a monster.
Even forums like Media Nation could hardly help resolve this menacing problem as discussions, or whatever that comes of it, are not binding to the participants.
The plausible solution is to once and for all tackle it head-on before it goes out of control.
If the media has the courage to confront government corruption, what is stopping it from dealing with the corruption in its midst?