Media in the news

Media has been in the news lately. Specifically, ABS-CBN and its sister channel, ANC, have been accused of favoritism and discrimination in their treatment of certain political candidates. At the outset, I wish to state that I am a fan (my kids say an addict) of the network, particularly ANC, from which I obtain a substantial portion of my current information on what is happening in the country. I generally find their news and public affairs programs to be balanced and fair. But in the same way that it requires a high standard on the people it interviews or reports on, it behooves upon the station to impose the same standard on itself.

There are two particular situations where its objectivity and fairness is being questioned. First, the Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) filed a petition before the Comelec accusing ABS-CBN of violating the Fair Election Act when it supposedly deliberately excluded AKP’s candidate, Dominador Chipeco, from the vice presidential debates it had organized. AKP president Eric Manalang alleged that “ABS-CBN … is being selective and at times outright discriminating against the AKP and its candidates.” I have not read a copy of the petition so I am unable to meaningfully comment on its merits. But I scanned thru the law cited and did not see a specific provision in the law which mandates a station to invite ALL the candidates to their debates and talk shows. While section 6 of the law provides that “all registered parties and bona fide candidates have equal access to media time and space,” it does not generally provide for free access. To my mind what the law requires is for the station not to discriminate against candidates who are willing to purchase air time.

Similarly, while the Comelec is tasked to “supervise the use and employment of press, radio and television facilities insofar as the placement of political advertisements is concerned to ensure that candidates are given equal opportunities under equal circumstances to make known their stand on public issues within the limits on election spending,” the Comelec is not given the absolute authority to compel media outfits to interview or feature ALL the candidates. For one, it would be impracticable and logistically difficult to ensure that ALL the candidates are invited (e.g., should all 61 senatorial candidates and 187 party-list aspirants be given the same amount of free air time by each station?). Also, we need to remember that media stations enjoy not only free speech and expression rights but the free press privilege to “make fair commentaries on matters that involve the public interest.” Finally, private property rights are in play as well and while the Comelec may, during the election period, “supervise or regulate the enjoyment or utilization of all franchises or permits for the operation of … media of communication or information,” such power is not absolute. Any regulatory action must still conform to due process. In fact, by not inviting certain candidates, is the media outfit merely exercising its editorial prerogative? As a private enterprise, why should it allow some to pay their way while others are allowed to get a free ride?

Hence some form of preference for certain candidates is not only inevitable but should be expected. However, if the bias or favoritism is blatant, then the reputation of the station is impacted and you can expect viewers to change the channel. Be that as it may, ABS-CBN has apologized to AKP which the latter has accepted. That makes the issue academic, for now….

Next week, let me tackle the issue regarding the bogus psychiatric report involving leading Presidential candidate Noynoy Aquino that was reported by ABS-CBN to have been provided by the Nacionalista party but which the latter vehemently denies. When pressed to disclose its source by the latter, the station invoked the journalistic privilege to keep its sources confidential. Now, is that fair?

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Difference in perspective: Let me shift the spotlight from broadcast to print media. For those who have been following the elections, you are probably aware of the voting of our overseas Filipinos that occurred in several international locations including Hong Kong last weekend. With regard to the latter, there were 20 PCOS machines used of which two malfunctioned. The following Monday, the two leading Philippine newspapers bannered this newsworthy event as their main headline. This newspaper’s headline was “ DFA- Overseas voting off to smooth start- 4,141 votes cast on first day“. On the other hand, the “other” major newspaper’s headline was “2 Voting machines malfunction in HK — cold damp weather blamed.” A case of one seeing the glass half full and another seeing the same glass half empty? This brings to mind a saying of Oscar Wilde etched in one of the benches across London’s Trafalgar Square: “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

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One centavo this week goes to PAL’s Mabuhay magazine editor-in-chief Simeon Ventura who, in his April 2010 editorial, exhorts tourists to help the ecological preservation of Boracay in several ways. He reminds them to: a) be more conscious of conserving water when we take baths and brush our teeth. Also, he encourages tourists to minimize the changing of towels, pillow and linen covers and bed sheets when in hotels; b) help conserve electricity by turning off the air conditioner and lights when they leave their rooms; c) make it a habit to pick up litter when they walk around and deposit them in segregated garbage bins; and d) avoid using plastic bags and instead, stuff their purchases into a shoulder bag or backpack. I must say that these timely reminders are not only applicable to Boracay tourists but to each one of us as well in our collective challenge to stem climate change and preserve the environment.

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“Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”             — Anonymous

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