Pagkukunwari sa ngalan ng peryodismo
Hindi porke’t peryodista ay peryodismo na ang ginagawa niya. Bagama’t may mga peryodistang nagsusulong ng responsableng peryodismo, may mga peryodista rin namang nagpapakalat lang ng propaganda ng gobyerno.
Para
sa ordinaryong tagasubaybay ng midya, malalaman lang ang kaibahan ng
tunay sa iresponsableng peryodista kung babasahin ang inuulat niya.
Tatlong tanong lang ang kailangang sagutin: (1) Nainterbyu ba ang
iba’t ibang panig o taga-gobyerno lang ang binigyan ng boses? (2)
Sinuri ba ang pahayag, lalo na ng taga-gobyerno, kung ito ay
makatotohanan? (3) Ginagamit ba ang mga salitang “honorable,”
“kagalang-galang” o iba pang kapuri-puring termino para tukuyin
ang mga ininterbyung nasa kapangyarihan?
Sadyang
iba ang pagsusulat ng balita (news) sa simpleng pagkopya ng praise
release. Hindi po ako nagkamali sa paggamit ng terminong praise
release (sa halip na press release). Ano pa ba ang matatawag mo sa
isang opisyal na pahayag na abot-langit ang papuri sa politiko o
opisina ng gobyerno? At matatawag mo pa bang peryodista ang bulag na
nag-uulat sa pamamagitan ng wagas na pagkopya?
Kung
“hindi” ang sagot natin sa huling tanong, ano kaya ang akmang
termino para sa ganitong klaseng tao? Mainam ba siyang tawaging
bayarang propagandista? O mas uubra kaya ang hao siao (nagkukunwaring
peryodista)? Anuman ang terminong piliin, kailangan lang nating
ulit-ulitin ang puntong hindi peryodismo ang ginagawa niya.
Para
sa estudyanteng kumukuha ng Peryodismo sa kolehiyo, malaking insulto
ang ginagawa ng mga bayarang propagandista o hao siao na ito sa
paglapastangan sa propesyon. Sadyang hindi rin ito magandang
halimbawa sa mga mag-aaral ng elementarya’t hayskul, lalo na sa mga
interesadong lumahok sa peryodismong pangkampus (campus journalism).
Kahit
na nararapat lang na punahin ang mga indibidwal na piniling maging
bayarang propagandista o hao siao, kailangan ding isakonteksto ang
kanilang maging gawi sa sistemang umiiral sa midya.
Tandaan
nating may mga organisasyong pang-midya (media organizations) na
pag-aari ng mga may interes sa politika o negosyo. Kahit na hindi
sila kumikita, may pakinabang pa rin ang pagiging may-ari ng midya
para makakuha ng pabor mula sa mga nasa kapangyarihan. At dahil wala
silang pakialam sa pagsusulong ng responsableng pamamahayag, kung
sino-sino na lang ang kanilang kinukuhang tagapaghatid ng balita.
Kung tutuusin pa nga, walang lugar sa kanilang organisasyon ang
responsableng peryodista dahil baka lumabas pa ang baho nila.
Kung
may malaking kinalaman ang pribadong sektor, malaki rin
responsibilidad ng gobyerno sa pagbibigay ng masamang pangalan sa
Peryodismo. Hindi lang ito tungkol sa pagkalat ng “fake news”
mula sa ilang nasa kapangyarihan at sa mga organisasyong pang-midyang
nakapaloob sa gobyerno. At lalong hindi lang natin tinutukoy ang
kawalan ng sapat na kaalaman ng ilang opisyal at empleyado ng
gobyernong ang pangunahing trabaho ay komunikasyonng pangmadla at
midya. Higit pa sa mga importanteng puntong ito, kailangang suriin
ang retorika ng opisyal na polisiya.
Mainam
na tutukan sa puntong ito ang polisiya ng pamahalaan tungkol sa
editorial independence. Kung susuriin ang State of the Nation Address
(SONA) ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte noong Hulyo 2016, ilang beses
niyang binanggit ang terminong “editorial independence.”
Binanggit niya ang pagbubuo sa isang People’s Broadcasting
Corporation (PBC) na papalitan ang kasalukuyang PTV 4. Sabi ni
Duterte, magkakaroon ang PBC ng “editorial independence through
innovative programs and intelligent treatment and analysis of news
reports, as well as developments of national and international
significance.” Aba, kahit ang Radyo ng Bayan ay sinabi rin ni
Duterte na magkakaroon ng “upgrading to make it financially viable
and dependable for accurate, independent and enlightening news and
commentary.” Ayon kay Duterte, ang Radyo ng Bayan (tinatawag
ngayong Radyo Pilipinas) ay ipapaloob sa PBC.
Sa
unang tingin, magandang balita ito para sa mga nagtatrabaho sa PTV at
Radyo Pilipinas dahil may oportunidad na silang maging tunay na
peryodista bunga ng pangakong editorial independence. Sa wakas, may
“tagumpay” nga ba tayong puwedeng ipagbunyi?
Noong
Hulyo 28, 2016, isinumite sa Senado ni Sen. Loren Legarda ang Senate
Bill No. (SBN) 913. Makalipas ang ilang araw (Agosto 4, 2016),
isinumite naman sa House of Representatives ni Rep. Alfred Vargas ang
House Bill No. (HBN) 2143. Pareho ang nilalaman ng mga panukalang
batas na ito at layunin nilang buuin ang PBC. Sabi sa Sec. 4
(Independence) ng SBN 913 at HBN 2143, ang PBC ay magiging
“indepedent in all matters concerning contents of its output.”
Totoo kaya ito?
Kung
gusto nating busisiin ang komposisyon ng planong PBC board of
directors na binubuo ng pitong katao, may tatlong mula sa gobyerno,
tatlong mula sa pribadong sektor at isang mula mula sa sektor ng
edukasyon. Bagama’t may maliit na mayorya (57 porsyento) ang
pribadong sektor at sektor ng edukasyon, hindi pa rin matatawaran ang
kontrol ng gobyerno hindi lang sa pamamagitan ng board of directors
kundi pati na rin sa mismong patakarang nakapaloob sa Sec. 10
(Functions) ng SBN 913 at HBN 2143.
Nakasaad
kasing ang PBC ay magsisilbing “vehicle for bringing the government
closer to the people” (Sec. 10-b). Hindi rin ito mag-eere ng
anumang bagay na “outrage public feeling in general” (Sec.
10-g.4). Nasaan ang kalayaang nais ibigay sa PBC kung isinusulong pa
rin nito ang interes ng gobyerno?
Para
sa pamahalang ito, malinaw na ang kalayaan sa pamamahayag at
editorial independence ay mga terminong ginagami lang para pagtakpan
ang patuloy na pagkompromiso sa peryodismo. Kung ang opisyal na
retorika ay hindi tumutugma sa nakasaad na polisiya, hindi na
nakakagulat ang patuloy na paglapastangan sa propesyong may susing
papel sa pagpapaunlad ng demokrasya.
Para makipag-ugnayan sa awtor, pumunta sa https://risingsun.dannyarao.com
Comelec bastardizes the party-list system
Three months before the national elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualified three party-list groups belonging to the Makabayan coalition.
The Manggagawa Party-List’s appeal for accreditation as party-list organization was dismissed by Comelec. They represent the workers, migrant workers and their families, the public transport drivers and the urban poor. In its decision, Comelec said that Manggagawa failed to state that it does not receive funds from the government.
Aksyon Health Workers Party-List, meanwhile, was disqualified for failure to prove that they belong to the marginalized sector. Aksyon Health Workers represents health workers from the private and the public sectors. The Comelec also dismissed the petition for registration of the People’s Surge Party-List, which represents victims of disasters.
On the contrary, party-list groups with questionable credibility and advocacies were allowed by the Comelec to participate this coming elections. This includes Mocha Uson’s AA-Kasosyo Party and Duterte Youth led by Ronald Cardema, Duterte’s avid supporter and chairman of the Kabataan for Bongbong Movement, a youth organization supporting Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son of the ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Partylist groups with rich nominees have been accredited, including One Patriotic Coalition of Marginalized Nationals, also called as 1-Pacman. Its representative, Michael Romero, was named as the richest legislator in 2018 based on his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. His net worth in 2017 is P7.29 billion ($138 million). Romero was also reported to have participated in an auction with a bid of P50 million over an artwork in 2018.
Romero is the chief executive officer of the Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Inc., chairman of the 168 Ferrum Pacific Mining Corporation and vice chairman of AirAsia Philippines.
The second richest legislator is running as representative of Diwa Party-List (Dignidad sa Bawat Manggagawa) Emmeline Aglipay Villar, with a net worth of P1 billion ($19 million). She is the wife of Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar.
These billionaires whose party-list groups claimed to be for the marginalized never spoke against anti-poor policies.
By allowing these partylist groups to run, Comelec does not only bastardize the party-list system but also proves itself to be biased and partisan, anti-poor and pro-rich.
The post Comelec bastardizes the party-list system appeared first on Bulatlat.
Alternative news Bulatlat under attack again
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — Alternative news website Bulatlat is once again being subjected to a series of cyber-attack, a digital forensic investigation report revealed.
In its forensic report, Qurium Media Foundation, a noted Sweden-based group of digital forensic investigation experts that provide support to various media agencies facing similar attacks, said they have been mitigating the attacks against Bulatlat’s website, which is being subjected to a series of denial of service attacks since January 19, 2019.
The attackers, the group said, have attacked their “front-end at Cloudfare and later on they directed the attack to the hosting site,” using at least 1,100 compromised computers “to flood the website with requests.”
Qurium noted that the attackers are keeping a low request per ration “to avoid flood detection.”
The cyber-attack has repeatedly brought down the website for several days. Qurium had to migrate the website in the middle of an ongoing attack.
This is not the first time that Bulatlat has been subjected to such cyber-attack. On Dec. 26, Bulatlat’s website, along with other alternative news agencies, were also down due to an apparent similar attack.
In an earlier statement, Bulatlat said that the attack is yet another attempt to infringe on press freedom.
The post Alternative news Bulatlat under attack again appeared first on Bulatlat.
NDFP tells government, ‘Do not criminalize children’
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Journalists start countdown to 10th anniversary of Ampatuan Massacre
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Farmers press for justice 32 years after Mendiola Massacre
On the 32nd anniversary of the Mendiola Massacre where 12 peasants were killed and at least 51 were injured, farmers led by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas held a protest action at the site of the incident to press for justice. Noting that the victims still have to receive justice, the protesters also noted that […]
Eight years after, justice remains elusive for Doc Gerry Ortega
Jan. 24, 2019 On this day eight years ago, environmentalist, good governance advocate and broadcaster Gerardo “Doc Gerry” Ortega was shot dead in an ukay-ukay shop in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Eight years after, justice remains elusive for Doc Gerry and his family. Doc Gerry’s case is illustrative of nearly all the media killings in […]