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    3 Risks and Excesses in The Media Profession

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    3 Risks and Excesses in The Media Profession

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    3 Risks and Excesses in The Media Profession

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    Risks and

    Excesses in the
    Media Profession
    Communication Media
    Law and Ethics
    Philip Aries B. Montemayor
    April 23, 2022
    Risks
    In 2009, the Philippines
    topped the list of countries
    with the most number of
    journalists killed, followed by
    Mexico, Somalia, and Russia.
    The Brussels-based
    International News Safety
    (INSI), a global media group,
    reported that during the year,
    a total of 132 journalists were
    killed.
    Risks
    Included in the 2009
    report, death total were the 32
    local journalists killed on
    November 23, 2009 in a
    politically motivated massacre
    of 57 people in Maguindanao in
    Central Mindanao.
    Risks
    But the figure in 2009 was
    well below the worst in recent
    years. In 2007, a record of 172
    journalists died and 168 were
    killed in 2006 when media
    deaths in Iraq were high
    following the 2003 US-led
    invasion and amid sectarian
    fighting in the country.
    Risks
    In the INSI list for 2009,
    Mexico was next with 11 killed ,
    mostly in drug-related rub-outs,
    followed by Somalia and Russia
    with nine each. In 2009, Iraq
    had only five deaths, the
    lowest since US invasion.
    For five years after 2003,
    Iraq was the most dangerous
    country in the world for
    journalists.
    Risks
    Philippines as the
    “deadliest country” for
    journalists in 2009 -
    International Press Institute

    Philippines as the ‘most


    deadly country’ for journalists
    to practice their profession -
    Reporters Sans Frontieres
    (Reporters Without Frontiers)
    Risks
    Reporters Sans Frontieres
    (Reporters Without Frontiers)
    has reported that in 1987, out
    of the 24 journalists killed
    worldwide, nine were from the
    Philippines; in 1988, out of 24
    killed five were Filipinos; in
    1990, out of the world total of
    36, seven were from this
    country.
    Culture of Impunity

    The IPI linked the killing of


    journalists in the Philippines to
    “the impunity that the killers
    enjoy in the country.” It urged
    [then] President Benigno S.
    Aquino to tackle the issue of
    impunity in the murder of
    journalists and to prosecute
    them.
    Culture of Impunity

    A total of 104-media
    people have been killed in the
    nine years of the Macapagal-
    Arroyo presidency, and 140
    altogether since democracy
    was restored in the Philippines
    in 1986.
    Culture of Impunity

    Earlier, the New York-based


    Committee to Protect
    Journalists (CPJ) has named the
    Philippines as one of the most
    hazardous spots to cover
    during the last three years
    ending in 1990. In 1990 alone,
    seven local journalists were
    killed. This record has
    surpassed the killings in four
    years of the Cory Aquino…
    Culture of Impunity

    Administration (Feb. 23, 1986 –


    Feb. 23, 1990), which showed
    an average of six a year, and is
    higher than the average of 2.3
    killings during the 14 years of
    Marcos rule with a total of 32
    killings.
    Culture of Impunity

    Most of the Filipino


    journalists killed belonged to
    the media in the provinces
    where public criticisms are
    usually taken as personal
    attacks and where politicians
    rule like “little barons.”
    Culture of Impunity

    Aggrieved parties in the


    provinces seldom resort to
    legal remedies, such as filing
    libel complaints, in seeking
    redress of grievances. They
    even the score by getting the
    services of guns-for-hire to
    eliminate their tormentors in
    the media.
    Culture of Impunity

    Aggrieved parties in the


    provinces seldom resort to
    legal remedies, such as filing
    libel complaints, in seeking
    redress of grievances. They
    even the score by getting the
    services of guns-for-hire to
    eliminate their tormentors in
    the media.
    Excesses
    Media’s shortcomings and excesses:
    Shooting from the hip
    Abuse of source-based stories
    Resorting to “poetic license”
    Imagined or manufactured
    stories
    Conflict of interest
    Misquotation
    Labeling
    Excesses
    Shooting from the hip
    This is the penchant of some
    columnists to write something
    without first checking the facts
    or veracity of the report. These
    columnists often seek refuge
    under the doctrine of fair
    comment, although the intention
    is to malign other people.
    Excesses
    Abuse of source-based
    stories
    Some reporters concoct stories
    to suit to their pre-conceived ideas
    or slant on how a news should be
    written by attributing them to
    anonymous sources, like “an
    observer,” “an analysts,” or “an
    official who requested for
    anonymity.” This practice is not
    only unethical but is a downright
    Excesses
    Resorting to “poetic
    license”
    Poetic license, or the freedom
    of the poets and other artists to
    deviate from the accepted
    practices and norms for the sake of
    art, is sometimes being confused
    with writing factually. Journalism is
    the record of unfolding events; it
    should not be equated with fiction
    or literary forms.
    Excesses
    Resorting to “poetic
    license”
    Late columnist Luis Beltran
    realized this a little late, after the
    Pres. Cory Aquino filed a libel
    suit against him for writing in his
    column (in Philippine Daily Star)
    that at the height of August
    1987 coup attempt, Pres. Aquino
    “hid under her bed” in her
    Arlegui residence.
    Excesses
    Imagined or manufactured
    story
    The most famous or
    infamous example was the
    sensational account entitled
    “Jimmy’s World,” a story about
    an eight-years old heroin addict
    which won for the author, Janet
    Cooke and the Washington Post,
    the Pulitzer Prize for enterprise
    reporting in 1981.
    Excesses
    Imagined or manufactured
    story
    Cooke later on was caught
    lying and forced to admit that
    Jimmy was fictitious and all
    accounts that she had written
    about him were fabricated.
    Because of this, she was fired
    from her job and the paper
    forced to return the Pulitzer
    Prize.
    Excesses
    Conflict of interest
    Media practitioners, who are
    expected to champion the people’s
    cause, should have no other
    interest than to serve the public.
    But this doesn’t happen most of the
    time. Some do moonlighting in the
    media since they are consultants or
    even officials of certain offices
    whose interests run counter to
    those of the public.
    Excesses
    Misquotation

    Oftentimes, officials or news


    personalities complain that they
    have been misquoted by
    reporters. Racing against the
    deadline, this inevitably happens.
    But most officials do not really
    bother about this for as long as
    the facts are not twisted and the
    reports do not harm their
    reputation or honor.
    Excesses
    Labeling

    This is the habit of journalists


    to put a label or tag on persons or
    organization. The Kilusang Mayo
    Uno (KMU) labor movement is
    often tagged as “leftist” or
    “communist.” Labeling is
    dangerous because it is often a
    generalization and may not truly
    represent the true nature of a
    certain person or group.
    REFERENCE
    Malinao, Alito L. Handbook on
    Basic Media Laws and Ethics
    (First Edition). Philippines:
    National Book Store (2011).

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