Integrity: Learning About Ethical Standards in Journalism (and Blogging)

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"....Philippine journalism is being challenged by many Filipinos to be true to its vow of being truthful, balanced and fair in our reportage and commentaries....it has become even more difficult to ferret truth from lies, spins and fakery" - National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)

Media persons and outfits have a far greater responsibility than ordinary citizens to ensure proper standards. Is the level of profanity in media, blogs and social media included, ruining free wheeling dialogue that is necessary to a democracy?

Some of us would never include profanity, curses, and our own special rants and bashing on our published literary works, but our social media pages are filled with fuming and rage towards the people, companies or organizations we hate. If not, we bad-mouth others to our friends and acquaintances.

"....newsmen, and even radio commentators, are not supposed to use foul language no matter how much they disagree with opinions. (Then again, this has been happening for some time) This much is clear in the KBP (Kapisanan ng mga Broadcasters ng Pilipinas) code of ethics." - Ed Lingao in reaction to "a long radio and FB live rampage against a senator that involved quite a lot of colorful cussing and swearing (he begins warming up at around 32:30, continuing with his cussing on FB live while the radio program went into a commercial gap). The rampage involved a lot of putang ina, sonafabitch, punyeta, lintik, what the fuck, etc."

"According to the Philippine Broadcast Code of 2011, we should observe the following:

1. To broadcast (and publish) commentaries only by persons who have thorough knowledge of and practice of broadcast (and journalism) ethics, present opposing or contrasting views fairly, and not allow our personal bias or prejudice to distort the facts (Article 2. ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES);

2. To prohibit personal attacks and unfair criticism (Article 4. PERSONAL ATTACKS)

3. To acknowledge and rectify mistakes as soon as possible (Article 5. CORRECTING MISTAKES);

4. To prohibit offensive, obscene, profane and vulgar words and phrases as well as name-calling and personal insult (Article 25. SEX, OBSCENITY AND PORNOGRAPHY and Article 27. ON-AIR LANGUAGE);

5. To adhere to the basic principles, as well as code of conduct for broadcast media (Article 29. QUALIFICATION OF ON-AIR/PROGRAM PERSONS and Article 33. UNIVERSAL ETHICAL STANDARDS).

Admittedly, some colleagues have forgotten these ethical standards that should govern our work as broadcasters and journalists." - NUJP

Just because the top media outfits ad personalities have a large base of listeners and supporters, it should not mean their statements are considered authentic and credible. There are many cases when news were blocked or modified to suit the preference of others that will be greatly affected, and it was only on online media (especially the bloggers) that offered the real news. This was mainly because some media outfits would not dare hurt their sponsors or advertisers, so they opted to ignore the damaging news in favor of their clients.

To this we form another headline asking a question "Who Are the Real Peddlers of Fake News?" 

We consider news that were intentionally withholding complete information as fake news too. Real news should report everything that could be significant and substantial. News should not be modified to deliberately keep other parties safe from possible downfall or humiliation - whether its a business, personality, the government or the entire country itself.

On the other hand, there are also media outfits that sensationalize their news to gain more audience. Some news are being hyped or exaggerated to gain more interest from the gullible public. They even connive with some individuals, groups or entities to satisfy whims, sponsors' requests, or politically motivated and vested interests. When you start seeing envelopes getting passed among members of the media, you start to question if integrity still exist among us. 

Whether we would admit it or not, when we accept and bring home all of those complimentary gifts, perks and freebies given during press conferences and media coverage affects our reporting of the news. Unless you were given a product or service to review, media outfits should not be receiving "tokens" of any form. Now some would say, bloggers are excused since unlike media, they do not have regular salaries from their mother media outfits. Still, we believe media and bloggers should only receive ex-deals or freebies if they were pre-arranged deals agreed by both parties, or when they are to review certain products (new dishes, equipment, etc), services (spa, clinic, travel, etc) or establishments (hotels, restaurants, resorts, etc). 

Whether on television, radio, print or online, our journalists, commentators, news anchors, or bloggers, should abide by high standards of ethics and strive to adhere to stringent standards of journalistic integrity. We expect our reporters, producers and writers to be fair and honest and to confirm the facts before print or online articles, TV or radio segments,  are released for public consumption.

Let us all do our part to cleanse our print, online and broadcast of gross made even grosser by biased partisanship. Let us protect the journalism or blogging profession from further "erosion of the people’s trust and respect."

"It will only be a matter of time before one of us prosecuted, judged and persecuted an innocent person"...or has it happened already?

"..... restate our firm promise to a high sense of responsibility and honesty in the practice of our chosen profession.....

Pipo Short Film Wins Viewer's Choice Award in Jamaica

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A short film about a boy who wants to have his family picture taken by an old and grumpy photographer for his school assignment won the viewer's choice award during the Asian and Middle Eastern Film Night of the fifth Gatffest Film Festival in Kingston, Jamaica last June 24.

"Pipo," which stars Maliksi Morales in the title role, bested films from Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, in the said category of the festival. Chanel Latorre, Ramon Palencia, and Katherine Carel provide support as members of Pipo's family while award-winning actor Lou Veloso plays the role of the photographer.

Director Richard Legaspi was among the filmmakers from 28 countries who showcased their works during the festival and also vied for awards in 14 other categories including best directing, most original screenplay and best international film. Other films which competed in the 10-day event came from Canada, Columbia, Germany, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Tanzania, United States and United Kingdom, among others.

Gatffest, initially introduced in 2013 as the Greater August Town Film Festival and hailed as "the Carribean's premier film festival," was organized by the University of the West Indies (UWI) Centre for Tourism and Policy Research.

444th Araw ng Pasig: Writing for the Mayor of Pasig City

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In celebration of the 444th Araw ng Pasig, the City Government of Pasig has arranged for several activities to commemorate the festive event.

Among those events is the Search for Dangal ng Pasig - an annual undertaking of the City Government which seeks to give recognition to men and women whose achievements in their chosen profession or vocation have contributed invaluably to the development of Pasig. The awardees would serve as inspiration to the future generations of Pasigueños.

I line with this, my daughter, Hannah Krystelle Del Rosario, was commissioned to write the Inspirational Message of the honorable Mayor Robert "Bobby" Eusebio for the  3^rd Dangal Ng Pasig Gawad Parangal 2017 event. She was also asked to write the message of the Mayor for the Araw ng Pasig souvenir program.

We are not sure if there would be some changes after submission to the office of the Mayor, but I am proud of her for having this opportunity. She may not be formally credited for its creation, but knowing she did write it is already a recognition. After all, it is not everyday that you get to be trusted to write a speech for the highest government official of the city.

Hannah Krystelle is also the Editor-in-Chief of their college publication, the Lundayan of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig (PLP). She is graduating this year with a course of Education. Apparently, she favors the career of her mother who was a teacher but now works for the Department of Education (DepEd) specifically at the Pasig City Division Office. However, she took on the interest of her father (yours truly) who is also the Editor-in-Chief of WazzupPilipinas.com, and also a radio show host for DZRJ 810 AM and 8Trimedia Network. 

Congratulations to our daughter for her so many achievements. We are truly proud of her excellent academic records, including her extra-curricular activities. We know this is just the start of a promising future for her. I would say to keep up the good work, but she's the kind of girl that already knows which to prioritize and excel in. You'll definitely learn a lot from her too.

Below are Hannah Krystelle's works:

3^rd Dangal Ng Pasig Gawad Parangal 2017

Inspirational Message 

"Truly, we Pasigueños are delighted to see that the denizens of our abode, each being passionate aspirants with their sights beyond the distance, had accomplished such notable milestones in their own respective fields. It is ever so easy to admire and put those in front of us in the spotlight, for it is evident that they are blessed with their own abilities and have reached exemplary heights.

What we may not notice, however, is a fact that is easily overlooked – the fact that whatever profession they may hold, they are being recognized at this very moment not only because they are flourishing with innate skills but because they have proven themselves worthy due to their serious commitment and genuine love for what they do. Before we give them praise for their talents, let us not forget to account the gargantuan amount of time and effort they have dedicated to their craft and their fortitude in the midst of failure and adversity. Let us be proud of the fact that despite the changes brought about by nature and the impact of technology, which paved the way towards modernization – we Pasigueños do not forget to retain our culture and spirituality. We may acknowledge the company but what really matters or what constitutes the heart of them all is the amazing people.

Let us not be afraid to be ambitious and believe that we, too, can excel and be the best versions of ourselves. Before we convince ourselves that we can only do so much and such capacity is out of our league, let us note that we are capable of leading ourselves to something magnificent, for it was neither the earthly desire for fame nor fortune but rather the unwavering passion for what they do which had made us grace them with the spotlight.

Let us hope for our fellow Pasigueños to consider this acknowledgement not as a finale but an inspiration to further their achievements and to continue aspiring for the best, for as Arthur Ashe had said, “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” “God gifted us with talents. What we do with those talents is our gift back to God.”

444th Araw ng Pasig, 3rd Dangal ng Pasig Gawad Parangal 2017

Souvenir Message

"People should not be afraid to be passionate for what they do, for it is passion which ignites the flame of commitment and nurtures one’s fortitude amidst challenges as they aim for their dreams and aspirations.

Let it be known that a person’s power to believe that he is capable of the extraordinary can make a great difference. This power to believe is the main catalyst towards determination and the willingness to exert effort into what they do.

It is with a proud spirit that we congratulate the awardees of this jovial occasion. On this 444th celebration of our city, let us once again celebrate in favor of one of its greatest features which is its people. We are surrounded by people who continue to accomplish marvelous things, evoke the inspiration of their fellowmen and continue to reinvent the name of the Pasigueno. We are also surrounded with people who embrace the challenge which is to improve themselves in their respective fields. They have been courageous and steadfast in their own paths in life. They have granted themselves the power to create the life that they have in front of them at this very moment.

To everyone who continues to work towards their goals and towards a reality which they can be proud of, we thank you and salute you. Congratulations!"