We beg to differ.
At the core of the crisis gripping mainstream media and mainstream “thought leadership” in the Philippines is the way ordinary Filipinos remain trapped in social hierarchy. Rather than encourage debate that focuses on the merit of the ideas and arguments tabled, Filipinos lazily defer to rank, credential, and seniority. This is no thanks, of course,…
Read More “Mainstream media needs to evolve – or face extinction” »
There is something to be said about Filipinos and their ability to engage opponents fairly. In a fair engagement, you recognize the situation and the position you’re currently in, and assess them. You discuss possible options. You recall your strengths and weaknesses, and how to use the former for leverage, and how to best minimize…
Read More “What happens to Filipinos when they can no longer “make sumbong”?” »
There’s a rare level of dimwittedness involved in coming up with — and actually implementing — the idea of petitioning the shutdown of Mocha Uson’s Facebook page. The backfire and fallout from this quaint project all but proved just how fragmented the Opposition is today. Even die-hard characters in the Yellow Camp refused to sign…
Read More “Attacking Mocha Uson only makes her stronger and her influence more powerful” »
A petition to suspend the Facebook page of Mocha Uson, a Filipino celebrity blogger and staunch supporter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, is making the rounds. The Suspend Mocha Uson Blog Facebook Page on Change.org has, as of this writing, attracted almost 26,000 signatories with the following write up set to be “delivered” to Facebook….
Read More “The hypocrisy in the petition to shut down Mocha Uson’s Facebook page” »
Hashtags: #TakeBackMariaRessa #OmidyarNetwork I can only feel for Maria Ressa. Her motherly interest to defend her team from criticism resulted in more harm rather than good. Nassim Nicholas Taleb comes to mind. He coined the the term “naive interventionism”, from iatrogenics in the medical field. Iatrogenics is a case wherein a…
Read More “IATROGENICS: Why Rappler is Becoming a Victim of Its Own Medicine” »
This is in response to Maria Ressa’s comment on a post dated October 5, 2016. John, sino ba’ng hindi gustong magkaisa? Understand we all live in the Philippines, and every policy affects each and every Filipino. I think we differ in critical thinking and the role of journalism: we believe that no matter who’s in…
Read More “Rashomon Effect: The Self-serving Interest of Mainstream Media and the People” »
That’s an easy question to answer: because he was elected by an angry people. Filipinos in 2016 — coming out of six years under the rule of former President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III — trooped to the voting booths full of anger over missed opportunities, great crimes that were allowed to slide, and the…
Read More “Why is President Rodrigo Duterte always angry?” »
So is there really an army of “bots” that rampage through the Internet “trolling” social media and attacking hapless corporate news media sites? According to Maria Ressa, CEO of “social news media” site Rappler, there really is such an army of darkness. Ressa insists that we are in the midst of a “propaganda war” and…