Positive vs negative news

In any democratic country like ours, media’s role is traditionally expected to be adversarial towards the government. Unfortunately, there is always the wrong perception that media gives more emphasis on the “bad news” rather than reporting about the “good news” that any administration wants to highlight.

The Philippines boasts itself to be a country where media is considered as one of the most liberal and outspoken in the world (maybe that’s why we continue to be known as one of the most dangerous places for journalists, even topping the list in 2009). In 1986, EDSA One restored freedom of the press, for which Mrs. Cory Aquino is fully credited. And yet even Mrs. Aquino complained about media being unfair in its reporting, especially when she became outraged with the Philippine STAR and its late columnist Louie Beltran when he wrote that she “hid” under the bed in Malacañang during the August 1987 coup attempt.

Despite being a close personal friend of the late Philippine STAR founder Mrs. Betty Go Belmonte, Mrs. Aquino filed a libel case against Beltran and the late Philippine STAR publisher and co-founder Max Soliven. In her suit, Mrs. Aquino stated that the column undermined her credibility as president. Stung by Beltran’s column, President Cory Aquino invited the media to her bedroom at the Arlegui Mansion in Malacañang and showed them her bed. Shortly thereafter, Louie Beltran explained in his public apology that he was merely using hyperbole. Mrs. Aquino did not relent — she continued with her libel suit.

Given this context, many people understand the sentiment of Mrs. Aquino’s son, President Noy, about the “negativism” that he feels media has been dishing — expressing his displeasure when he lashed out against TV Patrol anchor Noli de Castro. Apparently, P-Noy had a point — the former vice president did indeed inject negative comments even in the face of “positive news” which gave people the perception that Noli was engaged in fault finding.

However, legitimate criticism is something that will just have to be accepted as part of life especially if you’re holding public office. As president, Noynoy Aquino has to resign himself to the fact that he will always be “the center of the storm” where media is concerned. But that doesn’t give the press license to engage in biased or selective coverage — a reality that has been known to happen.

Our dear friend Max Soliven used to advise us to “always err on the side of truth” — saying people should be as objective as possible in anything they do — be it business, politics or media. He said one should examine an issue from both sides of the fence to be more effective in persuading others to see things from your perspective and agree with your views.

If you only talk or write about your side and stubbornly refuse to consider the other side of the coin, then you will get branded — leaving you with only one set of readers since the other side will typecast you as biased. Unfortunately, there are a few commentators who have the habit of inflicting only their views on their audience. Come to think of it, even those who always go out on the streets denouncing the United States and whoever happens to be this country’s president, protesting against anything and everything, become totally irrelevant in the end.

The good news that we hear today, which is being lauded by foreign businessmen, is President Noy’s willingness to study Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Speaker Belmonte’s suggestion to revisit the Charter. It’s not even Charter change but amendments to certain economic provisions. Businessmen totally agree, we need to study how to keep the 1987 Constitution attuned to the global economy. The timing is perfect with Asia enjoying an unprecedented boom.

On the other hand, the news that has been coming out from some sectors concerning the Reproductive Health bill is rife with negativity, with politics obviously playing a major role. Clearly, the minority in Congress who suddenly changed their tune want to ingratiate themselves with the Church in preparation for next year’s elections. In fairness to former president Gloria Arroyo, she has never really been for the RH bill, perhaps because of the “Catolica cerrada” upbringing inculcated by her mother. But she is also evidently seeking support from the bishops for her “current predicament.”

But everyone — or at least over 70 percent of Filipinos — knows that the RH bill is important for the long term. The proponents are not going after the Catholic Church, and neither are they advocating abortive methods. What it boils down to is a conscience vote from couples to choose what they believe would be good in helping them manage their families. We don’t have to keep repeating that a mismanaged population can go out of hand, like what is happening in China that is moving heaven and earth to manage their population. Despite a booming economy and about 300 million affluent Chinese, they still have 900 million people living below the poverty line. The same is true with India where over 50 percent of the 1.2 billion population lives on less than $2 per day, while another 32 percent live below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day — prompting the Indian government to look for other ways to manage their exploding population.

In any case, media has to remember that regardless of the nature of the news – whether it is positive or negative, the operative word is credibility — which can only be earned by being fair and objective — two pillars upon which this paper is anchored on and summed up by its motto: “The truth shall prevail.”

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