HERE’S feedback from reader Ramil Teodosio:
This is a short feedback on your article about Greenpeace vs Vista. Public relations is not about wining and dining the media. If you have [the] chance do read biographies of PR personnel such as Dick Martin (a former AT&T public relations officer); hopefully you will get a better understanding of what public relations is all about. Primarily, [the task of] a company’s PR group is to organize the communications between companies’ executives to its stockholders and stakeholders such as its ongoing internal news, financial statements, and any other materials that officers and executives may deem important for its stakeholders to know. But of course, you already know this. So, I am hoping this feedback will just remind you of ethical journalism.
I have been observing the press in the Philippines and I [have] realized that the press minimally practices ethical journalism. In many articles that I have read and events that I have attended where… the press were present, they look for the sensation[al] aspect of the story and decide to write on that. I was in attendance for the protest against the movie, the “The Da Vinci Code,” and we had a schedule in which the books of Dan Brown were to be burned. Instead of covering the talks and lectures about why we as Filipinos should not support the book, many people from the press saw the faggot [o]n the floor. Without much hesitation, one of them lit it on fire and much to [the] organizers’ surprise, there was a huge bonfire. Needless to say, this was reckless since they were not the assigned people to light it on fire and this was actually going to be a symbolical fire. Instead, there was a huge fire that broke out without the organizers knowing about it. The crowd started to circle around the fire, while the speaker was still on the podium. After that, the whole event became about the fire and the burning of the book. Pictures were taken. The photographers were telling the people what to do such as how [to] tear the book, stomp on the pages, and hold a sign in a particular way. It looked like these photographers were very well-versed in creating sensational pictures and were the ones driving the whole event instead of invisibly just reporting what was going on. They became the directors and producers of the sensational event. Yes, my wife and I w[ere] the couple in your full back page article on the protest in Manila against the book, “The Da Vinci Code.” So I say this from my own experience.
Shouldn’t the media report on what happened? Wouldn’t that be ethical reporting? Ethical journalism would be if they want further information about the book and its controversy, then they can do their research. Certainly, this will not make it into the following day’s newspaper since it takes time to do research. Here is another example of this sensational journalism.
I remember two years ago the Inquirer published a series of articles about a resort in Boracay Island to be used by AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) soldiers for their rest and recreation. When it had its soft opening the press was invited to attend. There were many pictures taken of this place and published in the Inquirer. A few months later, [an] Inquirer journalist (presumably [a] different set of journalists) was “investigating” a questionable facility in Boracay owned by the AFP. It became a whole controversy. To me this is irresponsible journalism. If the new group of journalists does not know anything about the AFP facility, then they should do research. Besides, shouldn’t the chief editor remember things like that? These journalists should research the Inquirer archives. Then they will see that the AFP facility was very much covered by Inquirer journalists. What I don’t understand is that somehow Inquirer journalists were able to SPIN the story to make it sound like the AFP is building a private resort for the generals and spending funds out of control for the upper brass of the AFP. I guess what is even sadder is that people [have] already forgotten about the previous articles.
I hope that you are ethical journalists. I hope you can help bring back journalistic integrity void of profit. It is a very noble profession and I am indignant [at] the murders of journalists. I pray to God that justice [will] be brought upon the perpetuators. But journalists must stand for the truth against all odds (even against its chief editor). The truth is the truth no matter which way or angles you present it. It is flawless and yes, sometimes, it is worth dying for!
