Traditional media could do a lot better

Managers of traditional media are constantly complaining how they are finding it more and more difficult to defend their business model against emerging media of the Internet blogs and social media. If all they are worried about is the bottom line, I think they are worried about the wrong thing.

Traditional media is starting to lose out because, at least in the Philippines, it is getting careless about keeping the bond of trust with their readers, listeners and viewers. Emerging media on the other hand, have that self correcting mechanism of instant feedback from readers to keep everyone honest. The feel of a town hall discussion also helps people make heads and tails of events as these transpire in rapid fire fashion.

Traditional media’s handling of two events related to our recently concluded elections has bothered me. The handling of the so-called Noynoy psychiatric reports, particularly the first one and the more recent so-called Koala Boy revelations have been reckless.

In both instances, I felt television news actually misled the public about the importance and truthfulness of the stories. TV news (ABS-CBN for the psycho report and the rest of TV news media for Koala Boy) allowed themselves to be used by professional political propagandists in a way that allowed them to accomplish their objective to misinform. Were it not for a very active social media, there would have been no one with enough clout to credibly contest the false claims.

In the case of the psychiatric report, I fault ABS-CBN’s handling of the story. Their story headlined the claim ABS-CBN already knew was false before they aired it. They also failed to put on air Father Tito Caluag, the supposed signatory of the document, even if the priest was conveniently holding office in ABS-CBN itself.

They compounded their mistake by making Karen Davila, as TV Patrol anchor, read the damaging contents of the document itself. They gave the black propaganda source a valuable video clip that Manny Villar’s supporters used extensively as a campaign ad in the provinces. It had the effect of Ms. Davila endorsing the contents of the document, which I hope, was not the intention.

That reading from the fake document by Ms. Davila is libelous per se. ABS-CBN cannot claim the document was privileged communication since they admitted they knew it was a fake one to begin with. I think Noynoy should find time to file libel charges against ABS-CBN news personnel who had something to do with that airing just so we can establish clear legal guidelines on how far we can go in media. Self regulation failed miserably in this case so that limits must be set.

In the case of Koala Boy, he was given all the airtime he needed to make his outrageous claims with serious implications on the country’s peace and stability. Of course the surfacing of Koala Boy is news but it has to be presented in the proper perspective. News media has the obligation to sift through the claims and point out the inconsistencies.

What is bothersome with both the psychiatric report and the Koala Boy story is that traditional media can hide behind the outdated philosophy of media objectivity: that media’s only role is to report and it is up to the public to sort things out… what is true and what is false. The public is left in a lurch not knowing what just happened and why they should feel anything about it.

When I asked her about Koala Boy, here is how Maria Ressa, Managing Director of ABS-CBN News defended their handling of the story: “We did the interview two Sundays ago and held it because we were skeptical. The numbers didn’t make sense. While our reporter did the interview, there was another camera there. The following Wednesday, CBCP called a presscon and showed video from the other camera in the room.  At that point, every news group ran it because the charges were being made publicly by concrete, real people.  We were the last to run it.”

Maria continues: “We disclosed how we got the video, how we did the interview, and did an analysis of the numbers.  We’ve been a few steps ahead of print media because our reporter had inside info - most of which we disclosed. Politicians and PR people have become far more skilled and manipulative nowadays. Ignoring a story doesn’t make it a non-story.”

See what I mean? Even bishops are being misled and in turn being misleading and guilty of news manipulation. And based on Maria’s account of how they handled Koala Boy, local media acted like a pack of mad dogs in broadcasting that story with little regard to its truthfulness.

The failure of traditional media is precisely because of this mindlessness. ABS-CBN or broadcast media in general are not supposed to be expensive megaphones at the service of politicians, politicking bishops and destabilizing black propagandists. I also think that a non-story becomes a story because media mindlessly makes it one.

If I seem a little particularly hard on my media alma mater, it is because despite the growing popularity of social media, ABS-CBN is right now, so terribly influential it is scary. ABS-CBN has a great impact on the future of our country and that is quite an awesome responsibility.

Where do voters get most of their information? In the series of Manila Standard polls, voters were asked their most trusted source of news. According to Pedro Laylo, the Manila Standard pollster, a great majority—ranging from 80 percent to 85 percent —of voters nationwide trust TV programs as their major source of news. Only about 9 percent cite radio programs, 6 percent cite word of mouth, and 1 percent cite newspapers.

According to Laylo, television is the medium by which most voters secure information on candidates, specifically those running for the highest posts. When probed on what TV news programs voters considered trustworthy, Laylo reports that “60 to 63 per cent of the viewing public considered news and public affairs programs from the ABS-CBN network compared to about 35 to 38 percent who mentioned news and public affairs programs from the GMA network. About 2 percent mentioned news programs from other TV networks.”

This led Laylo to observe that ABS-CBN has emerged as a kingmaker. That’s one hell of a big responsibility the ABS-CBN News people carry on their shoulders. And this is why they must always get it right the first time. This is why they must have the right news philosophy governing their approach to news or they may cause more damage to our already fragile political community. It is more important to be right rather than to be first.

The problem with news operations is that it is never ending. Every day is a new day on the treadmill of news coverage and it is easy to burn out and go on automatic mode. Maria has to be a kind of a philosopher-manager, constantly wondering if the Code of Ethics she has promulgated is being updated quickly enough to take in the lessons being learned every day.

This being the age of the social networks, it would be great if she can share her soul searching with the public to give them confidence to continue to trust her judgment. This is the way ABS-CBN can seamlessly move into the digital age not in terms of buying expensive and obtrusive technology but in terms of substance.

I know from first hand experience how hardworking the men and women of ABS-CBN News are and always have been. I have seen them disregard time, comfort and safety to get the story to the public. This is why they have become so trusted as to become, in Laylo’s words, a kingmaker in the presidential elections. This is more reason their current managers must make sure they remain not only popular but relevant and absolutely truthful. I know it is not that easy a task.

Journalists

Because I have written something really important and close to my heart today, I want to end with an inspiring quote rather than a joke. This was attributed to the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett.

The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. [For] to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves— and the better the teacher, the better the student body.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. This and some past columns can also be viewed at www.boochanco.com <http://www.boochanco.com>