Wonderstruck Writer

I experience and then I think. I think and then I comprehend. I comprehend and then I write. I write and then I reflect. I reflect and then I read. I read and then I act. I act and then I experience.  

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https://soundcloud.com/pauline-celerio/the-right-thing-pauline-celerio

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https://soundcloud.com/pauline-celerio/how-far-ill-go-cover-alessia-cara

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https://soundcloud.com/pauline-celerio/july-pauline-celerio

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https://soundcloud.com/pauline-celerio/sabay-cover-never-the-strangers

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https://soundcloud.com/pauline-celerio/jerome-pauline-celerio

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https://soundcloud.com/pauline-celerio/huling-sayaw-pauline-celerio

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https://soundcloud.com/pauline-celerio/perfect-cover-one-direction

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https://soundcloud.com/pauline-celerio/wildest-dreams-cover-pauline-celerio

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https://soundcloud.com/pauline-celerio/too-good-to-be-true-pauline-celerio

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https://soundcloud.com/pauline-celerio/sandali-pauline-celerio

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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.

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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]

November 11-18 Media Monitor

MEDIA MONITOR November 11-18, 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.

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http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/383296/news/nation/pulse-asia-36-of-pinoys-believe-pnoy-failed-to-fulfill-tuwid-na-daan-promise 

What makes a survey reliable and valid? A lot of things are taken in consideration of course. But among these are two most important things: the sample and the instrument.

When Pulse Asia says, 36% of Pinoys, it doesn't mean that the research company surveyed all of the Filipinos. In statistics, there is a concept called representative sample, which ideally, should embody the Filipino population as a whole. Take for example a Selecta four in one ice cream--a representative sample of such means a portion of each four flavors.

Now, in the article, the journalist was very commedable to include a part on Pulse Asia's methodology:

The nationwide survey interviewed 1,200 people aged 18 and up, and has a ± 3% error margin at the 95-percent confidence level. 

Some important things to know are:

1,200 people aged 18 and up - In Statistics, for a sample to be generalizable, it should be normally distributed (meaning, the items are equally distributed) and according to one postulate, if the number of respondents is more than 100, it is considered normal. The journalist did not emphasize the sampling scheme Pulse Asia devised, but ideally, from across ages, the choice of the respondents (at the lowest level--meaning the individuals themselves) should be random, to eliminate bias..

± 3% error margin - The percent reported are not exact, meaning, in reality, it could exceed or lack 3%.  

95 percent confidence level - the statistics reported are not 100% correct, therefore, there is a probability of 5% of error

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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.

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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 15-21 Media Monitor

MEDIA MONITOR October 15-21, 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.

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http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/384411/news/regions/nlex-hostage-taker-charged-with-serious-illegal-detention  

The man who took a bus hostage in Bulacan was already arrested after three hours of negotiation with the police. Around 6:30 a.m., the bus was on its way to Cubao from Tugegarao when Lauro Sanchez, declared that he was taking the bus hostage. After a failed negotiation, the crisis committee decided to take offense against the hostage-taker. The bus driver and all 10 passengers were safe. Sanchez was charged with illegal detention. It was later found out that he was on drugs and has not slept for three days.

In the KBP Code of Ethics:

“The coverage of crimes in progress or crisis situations should minimize harm”

“A coverage should avoid inflicting undue shock and pain to individuals concerned.”

The reporter who covered this was commendable, because he did not attempt to be the middleman and negotiate with the hostage-taker. The information he has also written did not, in any way, trigger the situation for the worse. It is also praiseworthy that he did not interview the passengers and the bus driver right after the event itself.

The conflict has ended nicely, and no serious physical harm was inflicted. The coverage was not really big (since the issue has not escalated for the worse), but the journalist did well in this.

[wonderstruckwriter]

October 8-14 Media Monitor

MEDIA MONITOR October 8-14, 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.

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http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/383382/news/nation/phl-can-ask-us-for-custody-of-suspect-in-death-of-transgender-woman-dfa

PHL can ask US for custody of suspect in death of transgender woman – DFA

In line with the issue of the murder of 26-year-old Jeffrey Laude, one of the possible suspects is identified to be a U.S. Marine. 11 pm on Saturday, October 12, Laude checked in a hotel with her foreign companion and 30 minutes later, the said companion left and she was discovered dead with her head in the toilet bowl.

This news has ignited the memory of Nicole’s rape case in 2005, and the issue of the Visiting Forces Agreement. As the provisions on the agreement says, a U.S. serviceman who committed a  crime in the Philippines falls under the jurisdiction of the Philippine government, but the custody is still under U.S. However, Department of Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario said that there is a possibility that Philippines would take custody of the suspected U.S. Marine, since the crime committed was a heinous one.

First and foremost, I failed to see the connection of Laude being a transgender to the news story. Why did it need to be highlighted? There was nothing in the article that reflected the importance of Laude being a transgender. This is very disheartening, in fact, since the LGBTQ community has been fighting for gender equality and yet, such a simple news report could trample it all.

Why? Waking up in the morning, this was the first news story that I’ve heard on the radio. The “transgender” part of Laude has already been highlighted in every media platform. And sadly, having heard the word “transgender”, my father who was dining with me remarked, “Maybe the U.S. Marine didn’t know that his partner was gay.” I do not know whether that was sarcasm or just an opinion, but no matter what it is, it painted a negative picture in my father’s mind. What more of the Filipino people?

Secondly, although this concern does not fall under the ethics of the journalist, I am bothered by the fact that there is already the talk of “custody” and “jurisdiction” when there hasn’t been a thorough investigation and a named suspect. The U.S. Marine was a “possible” suspect but not the suspect itself.

[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.

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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 24-30 Media Monitor

MEDIA MONITOR September 24-30, 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.

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Mayon evacuees, nahihirapan sa kawalan o kakulangan ng palikuran sa mga evacuation center

  News and public affairs programs shall aim primarily to inform the public on important current events and issues rather than merely to entertain. (A)

Interviews must be presented in the proper context. Replies of interviewees to questions must not be edited or editorialized in a way that would distort their intended meaning. (S)

-          KBP Code of Ethics

  Recently, alert level 3 for Mayon Volcano has been raised by PHILVOLCS. They advised residents living within the danger zones to evacuate until volcanic activity has toned down. In line with this, a report by Claire Delfin of GMA News centered on the scarcity of toilets in these evacuation centers.

Delfin has presented a coherent and informative story on this issue. The videos shown were not in any way harmful to the subject or very obtrusive to personal privacy. Furthermore, her story made me, a person not from Albay, Bicol, to understand what it meant to have insufficient toilets. The gathering of statistics and synthesizing this data to something that could be easily understood was a plus point too.

I also commend how the report has visually shown the state of toilets (the available ones) in these evacuation centers. According to the report, not all “toilets” in schools-turned-evacuation-centers are considered legitimate toilets because they are only urinals. This information was provided by the provincial health officer, of whom Delfin also interviewed.

As much as I liked the whole story, I think there are some significant points that we should note: First,  how the concerned authorities would respond to this matter? There was only a vague word “otoridad” to account for this—and the action suggested was to install 847 more toilets to properly service the evacuees. Delfin has not delved much into this. She did not interview a concerned authority on how they could address the issue currently.

Second, the information about the volcanic activity for the past twenty-four hours was very technical. For a national news television program, the general public is intended audience. I think shortage of time is a major factor to this, but as a journalist, it is very imperative to process data and communicate it to people.

Aside from those two concerns, I very much like how she reported the issue.