#mediamonitor

[yuriema]

11th Media Monitor - 5th Bonus: Occult

ABS CBN’s Rated K’s Halloween Special this October 30, 2016 featured several stories that were of the season, which includes a story about a haunted doll, possession, aswang or shapeshifter, a death foretold, and a restless spirit who still haunts. All of it had credible sources, and by credible, I mean those who were witnessed it first hand. However, featuring such themes on a program that airs every 7:30 PM is quite a question.

According to KBP’s Article 13 Sections 1 and 2 that “Programs featuring superstitious and pseudo-scientific beliefs and practices, such as supernatural powers, foretelling of future, astrology, phrenology, palm-reading, numerology, mind reading, hypnotism, faith healing or similar subjects shall be careful not to induce belief in them,” and “Programs or program materials that promote or encourage occult practices, black magic, witchcraft, and similar activities are prohibited.” This episode, although understood for its theme on Halloween, should not induce such beliefs as it can sway maybe not the adults but the minds vulnerable to such content. Despite the warning of SPG rating, the fact that it airs every 7:30 PM every Sundays still violates the rule that SPG shows should be aired 9 PM onwards. 

Sources:

KBP Code of Ethics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh0j1HQFalw

[yuriema]

2nd Media Monitor Post

For Ethics Class, Comm 110

A news must provide complete and concise information despite the fast paced work that journalists must face. In the article “Girl, 6, drowns; sister missing” of Michelle Zoleta, it was as if the information stated there were hearsay, given that there were no official reports from any “authority” such as the police or the rescuers, or even the hospital. The witnesses were not even named nor described who were they. Furthermore, even the statement of the mother whose children were missing does not seem that much credible. The article did not provide enough data such as interviews on important people on the story to make it more credible -  for it appears to be like a piece of a hearsay post than a news article.

In the SPJ Code of Ethics, the article failed to adhere to the provision of “Seek truth and report it” as it failed to “identify sources clearly” and to “gather, update and correct information throughout the life of a news story”. The writer of the article failed to provide necessary information such as about the family’s plans about the sisters, or even information from the authority such as the police and barangay in relation to the accident that has occurred. While in the PPI Code of Ethics, the article failed to adhere to the first provision which states that “I shall scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor to distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis”. Upon reading the article, it did not included vital facts on the story. Whatever reason for not including those information should also be stated as to why they were not obtainable. Thus, it can be considered that these facts were omitted by the failure to include them in the report.

References:

SPJ Code of Ethics

PPI Code of Ethics

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2016/08/29/1618168/girl-6-drowns-sister-missing

[rachelcookpr]

Lesson Learned from the Maple Leafs!

As I sit here going through social media sites and newspapers, I have come across a pretty ingenious lesson: "The jobbing media never forgive and never forget – they wait."  

For all you hockey fans out there, I'm sure you have your own opinions on who said what and how so-and-so handled this. From my opinion, it seems that, although not always in your favour, building positive relationships is always the right way to go.  It's like the golden rule says: treat people the way you want to be treated.  In other words, respect!  The relationships you make, whether it's with the media, clients, co-workers or generally anyone, may not seem mutually beneficial or even positive in the moment, but it could be in the future and having confidence in your relationships will be that much more reassuring.

[wonderstruckwriter]

November 19-25 Media Monitor

MEDIA MONITOR November 19-25, 2014

Journalists have the duty to report the truth and nothing but the truth. They have responsibilities to uphold for the betterment of society. But we, the people, also have a responsibility to monitor how journalists do their jobs.

_________________________________________________________

Pulse Asia survey: 69% of Filipinos agree with RH bill

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/207185/news/nation/pulse-asia-survey-69-of-filipinos-agree-with-rh-bill

In line with the RH Bill that was yet to be passed that time, a Pulse Asia Survey released results saying 69% of the Filipinos agree with RH bill. Among the reported results were:

7% opposed the bill

24% could not say if they agree or disagree with the bill

Those in higher economic classes (ABC) are more aware of the bill than those of class E.

2 out of 10 Filipinos only learned about the bill while being interviewed for the survey.

The data gathering period was from October 20-29, 2010, using face-to-face interviews. The survey was based on “a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above.”

Survey is different from a census. Survey utilizes sampling schemes that would make researchers generalize their findings in the population. At that certain period, RH Bill was the most discussed and debated issue. When Pulse Asia released their results, of course, debates about it had ignited once again. At the latter part of the article, the journalist mentioned about a 1,200 representative sample. For an ordinary reader, it would raise questions about how can 1,200 people represent a population of over a million.

In Statistics, a sample means a part of a population. In physical science, one drop of water is representative enough for a whole glass. But in social sciences (science dealing with people), it is complex, since people are not inanimate, and therefore, it affects how they respond to different questions. For researchers, a sampling scheme is very important because it affects results.

Now, in reading the article and having a background on how Statistics in research works, I am fine by the way the journalist wrote about it. But if I were to read it four years ago, I would not have understood what it meant. As a suggestion, I think it is good to write a definition of terms for every article that reports surveys and the like. It would help people, who do not understand how surveys work, comprehend what the numbers really represent.

[wonderstruckwriter]

October 22-28 Media Monitor

MEDIA MONITOR October 22-28, 2014

Journalists have the duty to report the truth and nothing but the truth. They have responsibilities to uphold for the betterment of society. But we, the people, also have a responsibility to monitor how journalists do their jobs.

__________________________________________________________

In line with the upcoming Halloween and commemoration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, TV networks have yet again produced programs with supernatural themes—ghosts, lamang lupa, etc. In the KBP Code of Ethics, there is a provision regarding the production of such programs:

·         Programs featuring superstitious and pseudo-scientific beliefs and practices such as supernatural powers, foretelling of the future, astrology, phrenology, palm-reading, numerology, mind-reading, hypnotism, faith healing or similar subjects shall be careful not to induce belief in them. Care shall be taken to prevent the exploitation of people who may be easily swayed by such superstitious and pseudo-scientific beliefs and practices.

·         Programs or program materials that promote or encourage occult practices, black magic, witchcraft, and similar activities are prohibited

In one segment of Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho, a feature about touring horrific and haunted spots in Maragondon, Cavite was aired. The idea of “dark tourism” derived from abroad was very unique, and as a viewer, it was interesting for me. The spots featured were: the church built in 1607 haunted by a headless priest, the hanging bridge haunted by lovers, and an ancestral house haunted by a variety of ghosts. In each site, locals were interviewed about their paranormal experience involving that particular place. To make the segment scarier, there were dramatizations in between. It was like watching a horror film infused in a documentary. At the end of the segment, “paranormal experts” say that the haunting (of the ancestral house) is not because of the spirit, but because of the gravity of emotions that place has gained for almost how many decades. In essence, it’s like negating the existence of “spirits” and reducing them to “emotions”.

Now, did the show violate the provisions?

I think the act of interviewing locals as witnesses of supernatural sightings is already a promotion of belief of such, but of course, I also don’t believe that people are so narrow-headed. I’d like to think that the Hypodermic Needle Theory is invalid, and people do not always believe what they watch on television. KMJS did not affirm or deny the existence of entities, but they were careful not to readily persuade their viewers on those “pseudo-scientific” beliefs. It’s more like feeding the viewers’ curiosities about the mystery of the afterlife and the unknown. After all, Filipinos love a good horror story to tell.

(GMA is not a member of KBP but I think the KBP Code of Ethics cannot be bound within member networks only. It's ethics after all, KBP member or not, code of ethics still stands.)

[wonderstruckwriter]

October 1-7 Media Monitor

MEDIA MONITOR October 1-7, 2014

Journalists have the duty to report the truth and nothing but the truth. They have responsibilities to uphold for the betterment of society. But we, the people, also have a responsibility to monitor how journalists do their jobs.

__________________________________________________________

Days ago, typhoon Neneng has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility. Fortunately, it has not made its landfall on Philippines itself. However, news agencies and media still reported this to the people. In a 33-second segment in Saksi, the news report was an update about the movement of Typhoon Neneng and the basic information about its strength.

The news report was very concise and direct on reporting the facts. I commend the completeness of it given such little timeframe. The news anchor also enunciated the words nicely, not too fast or slow. The graphics also helped visualize the location of the said typhoon. The only thing I was bothered about was that the meaning behind the technical terms 175 kph, etc. Obviously, it was not explained in the report, just read. In disaster risk reporting, the Yolanda experience should be a lesson enough for media practitioners and journalists to communicate to people.

I think just because the typhoon was not expected to landfall, it doesn’t mean that reports should allow themselves to simply state the facts.

But I think that this is because the segment was in Saksi, which airs late in the evening. The target audience of these programs are executives, working people who come home late. It is imperative to make news stories short, simple and complete. The market demographic is assumed to be learned enough to understand these terms.

But is it an excuse not to explain what technical terms mean?

I think not. I think they should work on giving concise reports that still communicate well, executives or not.

[wonderstruckwriter]

September 17-23 Media Monitor

MEDIA MONITOR September 17-23, 2014

Journalists have the duty to report the truth and nothing but the truth. They have responsibilities to uphold for the betterment of society. But we, the people, also have a responsibility to monitor how journalists do their jobs.

___________________________________________________________

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/09/22/14/pnoy-admits-he-wanted-get-back-marcoses

PNoy: I wanted to get back at Marcoses

In remembrance of Marcos’ proclamation of the Martial Law in 1972, a news-feature story was written on President Aquino’s experience during his family’s stay in Boston. In the embedded video, a snippet of PNoy’s speech was presented. It was about his struggles as a young man in Boston doing odd jobs to live. On the same site, a write-up was also included.

In journalism, the headline should be reflexive of what the content says. However, in this case, the headline for story was only based on one statement that President Aquino has said. It is true that he wanted to get back at the Marcoses at one point in his life back then, but it was not, in any way, the focus of the whole story.

The journalist who wrote the story committed an ethical misconduct with regards to writing a good headline for her report. She improperly emphasized one statement that wasn’t even the whole point of the content.

“Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.”

“I shall scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor to distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis.”

In this modern day and age, news platforms transcend the usual online websites—they branch out to other social networking sites to generate a lot of other audiences. I saw this post on Twitter, and because Twitter was designed to only have maximum of 140 characters per tweet, only the headline was posted, and then the link. As far as experience goes, people who read news on Twitter satisfy themselves on reading only the headline. Misleading headlines distort the truth of the matter at hand, and it misinforms the people on what actually happened, which is of course, the opposite of what journalism should accomplish.