Tag: journalism

Philippine Congress mints new anti-cybercrime and anti-slander laws

June 1, 2012June 1, 2012 benign0 9 Comments

Media people whether they be old-school journalists, “on-line reporters” or Web publishers (such as bloggers and much of the rest of humanity who have access to Facebook and Twitter among others) are up in arms about the raft of “anti-media” bills being drafted and passed in Congress. Critics of these measures assert that these “anti-media”…

Crime, Culture, Media, Tech Talk

ABS-CBN News positions hearsay ‘report’ from Raissa Robles as top headline

March 26, 2012March 26, 2012 benign0 130 Comments

Journalistic standards are in a spiral in the Philippines as hearsay “news” gets greater mileage in the biggest media network in the land. Recently, ABS-CBN News plumbed new lows as it positioned as its top headline a highly-speculative blog article by “investigative journalist” Raissa Robles on properties allegedly owned by Chief Justice Renato Corona in…

Civics, Crime, Media, Politics

Playing Sherlock

March 25, 2012 a 98 Comments

The impeachment trial droned on and on. Again and again, the prosecution was given the chance to nail the case, only to fail miserably again and again as it dilly-dallies with dubious evidence, unreliable witnesses and public display of hubris devoid of any leverage. Even in the eyes of a layman, itâ€™s not hard to…

So is Raissa Robles the ‘small lady’?

February 12, 2012September 14, 2018 benign0 36 Comments

As the circus that is the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona drags on, there is much collateral damage being wrought upon the already fraying society of the Philippines. One is the spectre of a constitutional crisis now casting a pall over the nation’s hallowed institutions. The other is the undermining of…

Crime, Economy, Media, Money Talks

Media’s role in Philippine society undermines rather than strengthens the process of seeking truth

January 31, 2012 benign0 19 Comments

According to Chay HofileÃ±a, Director of “citizen journalism” for â€œsocial news networkâ€ site Rappler.com journalists are “neither lawyers nor judges” and are, from the depths of their DNA she claims, hardwired to “look for patterns, inconsistencies and lies, and to point those out”. This, it seems, forms the kernel around which she launches into a…

Media, Politics

And so starts the circus of Renato Corona’s trial by publicity

January 16, 2012January 16, 2012 benign0 65 Comments

The Philippine media seems to be stepping up a campaign to distort the facts surrounding the impeachment case against Philippine Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice (CJ) Renato Corona. It is evident in the way Michael Lim Ubac wrote on the very first line of his Inquirer.net “report” World Bank: Loan to Supreme Court high risk…

Civics, Crime, Media, Politics

World Bank report on Supreme Court ‘ineligible funds’ inappropriately leaked to Rappler?

January 15, 2012January 30, 2012 benign0 37 Comments

Recently, Purple S. Romero of “social news network” site Rappler.com published the article “Return P8.6-M, World Bank tells SC” which details a World Bank request to the Philippine Supreme Court to return “a total of US$199,000 (P8.6-M) in ‘ineligible’ funds by the end of January, saying the High Tribunal spent this on activities and projects…

Government, Media, Politics

Ressa cries bloody ‘libel!’ – When will Rappler.com get it?

January 14, 2012August 7, 2013 benign0 21 Comments

Interesting the way Rappler.com CEO Maria Ressa cries bloody libel over Katrina Stuart-Santiago’s article Going to the dogs — an article about the manner with which Ressa’s self-described “social news network” startup precipitated (and possibly encouraged) a broader “ganging up” on the University of Santo Tomas over a perceived favour it granted to Chief Justice…

Media, Politics, Tech Talk