EDITORIAL - News? What news?

The American embassy in the Philippines has reportedly been secretly profiling Filipino politicians who are likely to figure prominently in the 2010 presidential elections, according to a page one story in a national daily last Thursday.

So? Surely, the writer of the story did not think the Americans have nothing better to do than count the cars that pass by the embassy gates all day. Indeed, if the truth be told, the US must not only be just profiling Filipino presidentiables, they must be profiling everybody else.

Profiling is what embassies of every other country in the world do, in addition to a host of other types of snooping and sniffing around. There is nothing surprising about it even if the national daily in question appears to make that suggestion with the kicker "US SECRET FILES."

Of course they are US secret files. The newspaper could not have thought that the US embassy, after secretly profiling everyone, would call a press conference and bare the names of all the personalities it has profiled?

The story by itself is admittedly interesting, as any political story in the Philippines always is. But to try and push it as something it is not is a cheap attempt at sensationalizing the news.

Not that no media outfit in the Philippines, or the world for that matter, is beyond putting a little added stress here and there. But to pass off an empty paper bag as a stuffed toy has no place in journalism.

We bring this up because, in a recent forum held in connection with Cebu Press Freedom Week, the venerable Filipino journalist Max Soliven, chairman and president of the Philippine Star, and Government Media Sectery Cerge Remonde, had a thing or two to say about media.

Both Soliven and Remonde said the media cannot escape part of the blame for any crisis that befalls a country because the failure to exercise responsibility to the degree that it is beneficial to all often results in wittingly or unwittingly stoking the fires of conflict.

There is no question the story about the Americans "secretly" profiling Philippine presidential hopefuls is a legitimate one. The problem is that too much beef is being sold where there is none.