Category: Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

Real journalism in a dangerous world

Julius Mariveles Leave a comment

Earl G. Parreno

“Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. Ethical journalism means dedication to accuracy: fact-checking and credible sources.” – US Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg

“Quality journalism enables citizens to make informed decisions about their society’s development. It also works to expose injustice, corruption and the abuse of power.” – Terence Jones, United Nations Resident Coordinator

WHILE statistics show a significant decline in the number of extra-judicial killings (EJK) in the Philippines, “there is still a tragic number of deaths” recorded the past recent years, United States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip S. Goldberg yesterday told a forum marking World Press Freedom Day.

UNITED STATES Ambassador to the Philippines Philip S. Goldberg speaks to journalists, bloggers, students and press freedom advocates during a forum to mark World Press Freedom Day in Manila, Philippines on 29 April 2015 |Photo by Cong B. Corrales

UNITED STATES Ambassador to the Philippines Philip S. Goldberg speaks to journalists, bloggers, students and press freedom advocates during a forum to mark World Press Freedom Day in Manila, Philippines on 29 April 2015 |Photo by Cong B. Corrales

The number of EJKs, he said, including those against journalists, have declined from a high of over 200 per year in the late 2000 to around 50 to a hundred per year in recent years.

“We’ve seen some positive development with regards to press freedom in the Philippines over the last few years. But it’s not there yet,” he said, stressing that “We all have to work so that number becomes zero.”

Speaking in the same forum, Terence Jones, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, pointed out that, “At least one journalist is killed each week in conflict and non-conflict areas (around the world).”

The UN official said, “For peace to be lasting and development sustainable, human rights must be respected. Everyone must be free to seek and impart knowledge and information through media online and offline.”

According to Jones, “Quality journalism enables citizens to make informed decisions about their society’s development. It also works to expose injustice, corruption and the abuse of power.”

“At least one journalist is killed each week in conflict and non-conflict areas (around the world),” says Terence Jones, United Nations Resident Coordinator to the Philippines during a forum to mark World Press Freedom day held 29 April 2015 in Manila | Photo by Cong B. Corrales

The UN, he said, has a Plan of Action with the goal of making journalists safe and putting an end to impunity.

The Philippines is ranked as one the most dangerous places in the world for media personnel.

The UN has declared May 3rd of every year as World Press Freedom Day. The forum, held at the Bayleaf Hotel in Intramuros, was attended by media practitioners, internet bloggers, journalism students, and human rights advocates. It was organized by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) with the support of the US Embassy in Manila and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

View clip of Ambassador Goldeberg’s keynote address below. Video by Cong B. Corrales

Ambassador Goldberg, for his part, emphasized the role of “real” journalists in society, pointing out that it is a unique and venerable vocation that requires many different attributes namely, ethics, dedication and bravery.

“They give voice to those without political or economic power. Journalists do this because they have heart, they have heart to expose the truth,” he stressed.

However, he said, “anyone who knows how to write these days could call themselves a journalist.”

“In so many ways you could get your message to the public, through the internet, through blogs. In fact it seems anyone who knows how to tweet these days can say they are journalists,” Goldberg said.

But being a real journalist involves something more, he again emphasized. “It involves real truth-seeking, truth-telling. It’s not fabricating stories to make money or exaggerating the headlines to sell the paper,” the Ambassador said. “Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. Ethical journalism means dedication to accuracy: fact-checking and credible sources. It means educating oneself on a variety of topics to ensure stories are well-informed.”

Too, Goldberg reiterated that press freedom means “freedom from fear, freedom from intimidation, freedom from violence for the journalist, and for the citizen.”

“It’s the right to tell your story, share your opinion and have your voice heard. (But) it’s a two-way street,” he said, and “that puts a tremendous burden (on journalists) in telling that story in a responsible and fair way.”

Bangsamoro envisioned

Julius Mariveles Leave a comment

A MAP of the envisioned territory of Bangsamoro, as indicated in the 2012 Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), looks roughly like the one below.

Shaded on the map of Mindanao are the five provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM); the cities of Marawi, Cotabato, and Isabela; six municipalities in Lanao del Norte; and 39 barangays in North Cotabato. (The six municipalities and 39 barangays voted for inclusion in an earlier plebiscite in 2001.)

The residents of these areas will decide the final scope of Bangsamoro through a plebiscite that will be held after Congress passes the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). The neighboring areas may join through a resolution for inclusion from the local government or through a petition signed by at least 10 percent of “qualified” voters.

Click on the image below to read the full article on our MoneyPolitics website.

Bangsamoro-map

Bangsamoro envisioned

Julius Mariveles Leave a comment

A MAP of the envisioned territory of Bangsamoro, as indicated in the 2012 Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), looks roughly like the one below.

Shaded on the map of Mindanao are the five provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM); the cities of Marawi, Cotabato, and Isabela; six municipalities in Lanao del Norte; and 39 barangays in North Cotabato. (The six municipalities and 39 barangays voted for inclusion in an earlier plebiscite in 2001.)

The residents of these areas will decide the final scope of Bangsamoro through a plebiscite that will be held after Congress passes the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). The neighboring areas may join through a resolution for inclusion from the local government or through a petition signed by at least 10 percent of “qualified” voters.

Click on the image below to read the full article on our MoneyPolitics website.

Bangsamoro-map

What are the do’s and don’ts

Julius Mariveles Leave a comment

IN COVERING CHILDREN IN THE NEWS

TODAY ON OUR JOURNALIST’S TOOLBOX: Children in the news by the Center for Media Freedom and Reponsibility

This article was first published on the CMFR website on June 29, 2006. We are reprinting it today with the hope that it would serve as a valuable resource for journalists covering children in the news.

By Rachel E. Khan and Elena E. Pernia

ACCORDING to the National Statistics Office, children below 18 years old comprise about 43.4 percent of the estimated population of 84 million Filipinos.

At the same time, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) country report dated October 2005 noted that the problems facing Filipino children today are “considerable and pressing.”

It noted four core threats to the well-being of children related to health, nutrition, education, and protection. In fact, the country report ventures to say that out of 100 Filipino children: eight will most likely die before their fifth birthday, 30 will suffer from malnutrition, 26 will fail to be immunized against basic childhood diseases, 19 will lack access to safe drinking water and 40 to adequate sanitation while more than 10 suffer from some physical or mental disability or developmental delay, and 17 will never go to school.

CHILDREN search for what remains of their belongings after fire gutted scores of houses on November 1, 2009 in Bacolod City. Seventeen people were killed, most of them children | Photo by Julius D. Mariveles

CHILDREN search for what remains of their belongings after fire gutted scores of houses on November 1, 2009 in Bacolod City. Seventeen people were killed, most of them children | Photo by Julius D. Mariveles

Yet, despite these pressing issues, news items about children revolve around only two themes: children as “victims of abuse” or “in conflict with the law.”

Covering children
Last January, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) conducted a study to assess the coverage of children in the local print and broadcast media. A content analysis was made of two nationally circulated dailies and two regional newspapers as well as two evening news programs and three public affairs programs on national television. The content analysis was augmented by focus interviews conducted among media practitioners in six provinces spanning the country. Coverage period for the study was Nov. 15 to Dec. 15, 2005 for print and October to December 2005 for broadcast.

CMFR chose to use the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) “Guidelines for Media Practitioners on the Reporting and Coverage of Cases Involving Children” as basis for measuring the media’s awareness of the need to protect the rights of children. Even if the guidelines do not have the force of law, the responsibility to adhere to it is the test of ethical journalism.

This responsibility falls on both the reporter covering the story and the editor or producer who opts to use it.

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE ON THE CMFR WEBSITE.

A CHILD WATCHES as adults wait in line at a relief goods distribution center in Tacloban City. This photo was taken a week after Typhoon Haiyan struck Eastern Visayas | Photo by Julius D. Mariveles

A CHILD WATCHES as adults wait in line at a relief goods distribution center in Tacloban City. This photo was taken a week after Typhoon Haiyan struck Eastern Visayas | Photo by Julius D. Mariveles

5.9M Filipino children suffering more

Julius Mariveles Leave a comment

Close to a year after Haiyan strikes the Philippines
By Cong B. Corrales

THE JOYS of the season may not be as felt as much by 5.9 million children in areas struck by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines), especially in Eastern Visayas where the super storm left a trail of death and destruction.

Poverty, specifically in Yolanda-hit areas, has made the people more vulnerable — all the more the children in these areas, a non-government organization said, Friday.

Plan International Philippines — one of the largest and oldest child-centered international NGO operating in the country— said Filipino children are twice as vulnerable because of “crippling poverty.”

A CHILD PIGGYBACKS on her mother in one of the villages devastated by the storm in Tacloban City. This photo was taken a week after Haiyan made landfall in Tacloban and other parts of the Visayas, killing thousands of people | Photo by Julius D. Mariveles

A CHILD PIGGYBACKS on her mother in one of the villages devastated by the storm in Tacloban City. This photo was taken a week after Haiyan made landfall in Tacloban and other parts of the Visayas, killing thousands of people | Photo by Julius D. Mariveles

“Even a glance at child poverty statistics in the Philippines and the disaster risk profile of areas prone to multiple hazards reveals how the combination of poverty and disaster creates ‘double vulnerability’ for children, who are the most vulnerable group in any population and under any circumstance,” Carin Van der Hor, Country Director of Plan International Philippines, said.

Van der Hor cited the 2009 United Nations global assessment on disaster risk that the Philippines has a seven percent possible mortality rate than Japan should a cyclone with the same intensity hit both countries at the same time.

“Poverty plays a big part in this unacceptable discrepancy,” Van der Hor said.

CHILDREN bring home relief goods as night falls in Tacloban City. This photo was taken a week after Typhoon Haiyan hit the city, one of the hardest-hit areas in Eastern Visayas | Photo by Julius D. Mariveles

CHILDREN bring home relief goods as night falls in Tacloban City. This photo was taken a week after Typhoon Haiyan hit the city, one of the hardest-hit areas in Eastern Visayas | Photo by Julius D. Mariveles

Van der Hor added it is this dire situation, particulary in Eastern Visayas where 5.9 million children live, that have worsened their lives when Yolanda hit their region.

Data gathered by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), showed that 13.4 million young Filipinos experience a severe lack of food, shelter, health, and education. Plan International said this means that more than a third of the country’s population under 18 years old are more vulnerable to bear the brunt whenever a natural calamity hits their areas.

As part of their overall response to address this vulnerability among Filipino children, Plan International also promotes “supplemental feeding.” It is a training program that is aimed at improving the nutritional needs of the children in Yolanda-hit areas.

Plan International Typhoon Haiyan Emergency Response Manager Richard Sandison told PCIJ that they launched a survey in Yolanda-hit areas specifically to categorize how severe malnutrition is in the region even before Yolanda happened. They did the technical survey together with other international NGOs within the social welfare cluster, Sandison added.

“The number of severely malnourished children is very low. What’s concerning, though, is the levels of stunting and chronic malnutrition which is running over 50 percent. So it’s a long-term nutrition issue in the Yolanda-hit areas. This is pre-Yolanda so this is not a direct result of the typhoon but it has made them a lot more weaker and a lot more vulnerable,” Sandison said.

Plan International Philippines was among the first organizations on the ground to mobilize relief efforts for typhoon survivors after Yolanda hit, and continues to do so through recovery and rehabilitation assistance aimed to help communities in “building back better and safer” as a response to future challenges.

The “Building Back Better” project is much more than an approach to construction but that community recovery efforts result in safer, more resilient buildings and infrasture, access to safe drinking water and other services.

Plan International Philippines has helped 1.3 million Yolanda survivors last year and it continues to work Tacloban City with government partners and 6,000 community member-beneficiaries on their “Building Back Better” project.

“It means working with communities on their recovery journey, involving them as partners in the recovery process, providing emotional support and building knowledge, community spirit and resilience,” said Sandison.

He added that these are things that are not seen immediately but can withstand any challenges the Yolanda-hit areas may encounter in the future.