Rather than report the news, Rappler makes ITSELF the news

Rappler “journalist” Nick Villavecer’s “report” where he sings praises to his own CEO Maria Ressa — a shareholder of his employer — is dishonest journalism because it is a blatant conflict of interest.

In his piece “Attacks and harassment: Women journalists in the Philippines on the cost of truth-telling”, Villavecer cites a number of women “journalists” as paragons of journalistic virtue. That’s not bad by itself except that counted among his list of modern-day Joans of Arc are his colleague Rappler “reporter” Pia Ranada and his boss Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.

But of course, right? Two of the six “women journalists” are Rapplerettes with Ressa listed last but, surely, not the least in Villavecer’s eyes, presumably. Villavecer’s “journalism” is wrong on so many levels. For one thing he is a “journalist” presuming to be an authority on who among his colleagues in the profession are the best of them. One would think that the opinion of a disinterested third party would be a more credible judge. And then forget for a minute that he crowns his peer Ranada as one of the industry illustrados and puts up his own boss in that hall of fame of his own creation. In other more normal circles Villavecer would be called a number of things. Ass-kisser would probably be one that could be used in polite company.

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Finally, there’s this whole idea that “journalists” possess the credibility to actually determine who is or who isn’t a “truth-teller”. If there is one crime against decency that Villavecer commits, it is that one. Think about it for a minute — a “reporter” declaring his own media employer a certified “truth-teller”. I don’t think any auditor worth her salt would be amused.

Nonetheless, one of Villavecer’s “women journalists”, the eminent Karen Davila is absolutely chuffed, gushing on Twitter how Villavecer delivers a “beautifully written” piece that she feels “honoured” to be part of.

WOMEN JOURNALISTS & PRESS FREEDOM. Beautifully written. Honored to be with these fearless women in media

If I were Davila, I’d think twice about being associated with these crooks at Rappler, much more allowing them to strut around her industry pinning “Truth Teller” medals on who they happen to fancy at the moment.

It seems Maria Ressa and her henchwomen haven’t learned any of the big lessons surrounding the irreversible slide to irrelevance that Big Corporate Media are suffering today. The days when their industry enjoyed monopoly over information dissemination are well and truly behind us. People like Maria Ressa and tools like Nick Villavecer who write presumptuous fluff pieces about heroic female “truth tellers” are now just mere curiosities that should be taken with grains of salt at best.

2 Replies to “Rather than report the news, Rappler makes ITSELF the news”

  1. If you look at Maria Reesa’s face: you are looking at : “Fake News”. The woman, who claims to be a “journalist, has no “truth” in her writings”, and in any part of her bones…. She is the “epitome of falsehood”…

    Maria Reesa, worked with the ABS CBN media, for a long time; that was the propaganda media of the Aquino Cojuangco political axis. They “spin the news and the truth”, to serve the favors, of their political masters: the Aquinos and the Cojuangcos…

    The common reader, like me, determines the “veracity of the News”; not the so called, fellow Journalist. We have a mind of our own. Don’t feed us with your stupid opinions.

    Down with Fake News advocates, and journalists who “spin the truth”, to promote the political agendas, of whoever politician, that paid them.

    Get out of the news media, if you are a “politically prostituted Journalists” !

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