One of the issues that came up during last week’s round table discussion on election issues organized by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City was the presence of media practitioners who are actually paid by candidates to bring their campaign on air, all the while maintaining that they are part of independent media. Most of those in attendance agreed that such persons are doing a disservice not just to the profession but to society itself by presenting themselves as objective voices when they are, in fact, nothing more than paid hacks doing the bidding of candidates who have the money to fund their on-air presence.
It was agreed that the group, under the auspices of CMFR, would draft a letter to the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) to take it to task to crack the whip, as it were, on these persons by requiring them to at least identify their programs as paid for by this or that candidate. I was at first reluctant to support such a letter, arguing that it is not within our rights or duties as journalists to become “gatekeepers” for the people. We cannot judge for the people what they may or may not hear, I said; besides, we have to trust that the people themselves can discern which radio program is legit and which is not. After all, the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, and the so-called “medya-medya” have as much right to go an air as those of us who call ourselves “legitimate media.”
But CMFR’s executive director Melinda Quintos-de Jesus emphasized that the statement would not ask KBP to censor anyone, or to take anyone off the air. All it would be asked is to require broadcasters, particularly the “blocktimers” or those who are not employed with a particular radio station but merely buy time in which to air their programs, to clearly state that they are, indeed, sponsored by a particular candidate. Full disclosure is all being asked for, in other words. The CMFR thus came up with the following statement, signed by 17 journalists from all over the country – including myself:
BLOCKTIMERS DURING THE CAMPAIGN PERIOD AND ELECTIONS
Statement to the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas
Jan. 19, 2009
REYNALDO HULOG
Executive Director
Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas
Dear Mr. Hulog:
The Center for Media Freedom & Responsibility (CMFR) organized a roundtable discussion with media and civil society organizations (CSOs) engaged in electoral activities. During the discussion, participants from the broadcast, print, and electronic media from around the country expressed their concern about the impact of blocktimers who host political talk shows sponsored by political candidates, some of which are reportedly funded by local government units. These programs are obviously part of the campaigns of candidates. Unfortunately, these are not identified as political advertising, and can be misconstrued as independent commentary over radio.
As a self-regulatory body for broadcast media, the Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP, Alliance of Broadcasters of the Philippines) upholds ethical practice among their members and requires them to make sure that their programs observe professional values. One of the tenets of news and public affairs programs is to make the distinction clear between news and information and advertising material such as commercials. Political space and airtime paid for by political candidates should be identified as such. If it is paid for by a local government office, then the people should know that it is tax payers’ money that is being spent, in clear violation of the electoral law.
The KBP should discern which blocktimers are paid by political campaign groups. It is within the KBP’s powers to police the ranks of broadcast practitioners all over the country. In a landmark election such as the 2010 ballot, the media should let voters know when talk shows are part of someone’s political campaign.
Furthermore, the KBP Broadcast Code requires all personnel who go on air, including blocktimers, to pass the KBP’s accreditation exam to ensure that minimum standards of broadcast professionalism are met. This institutional policy should also be strictly enforced. We are not calling for the banning of blocktimers or their sponsorship by political candidates. We are simply obliging them to make full disclosure of the nature of their programs. We are calling for the observance of ethical norms for the broadcast news media. This call does not violate anyone’s freedom of expression. On the contrary, we want the KBP to follow the fundamental prescriptions of free press practice. If the press is to retain public trust, then press programs – and these include any program that carries political information – should be autonomous and independent of political pressure and influence. The public should know if talk show programs have been bought to serve the purpose of advertising for candidates.
The persistence of politically-sponsored block-time news and public affairs programs masquerading as independent news and commentary reflects a highly dysfunctional press system. The commercial nature of most media enterprises in the Philippines makes elections a high-revenue season. But it is incumbent on the owners of such businesses to observe their responsibilities to the public and to disclose fully the source of sponsorship for the programs they air. Otherwise, the public may be misled and influenced by those they may perceive to be independent commentators but are after all only paid hacks.
The undersigned hope that the KBP will prove true to its mandate of self-regulation and require of its members the simple process of identifying political programs that are paid for by candidates or government agencies.
Signed:
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
Joey Aguilar
Punto Central Luzon
Melita Aguilar
DYGB
Alwyn Alburo
GMA-7
Dino Balabo
Mabuhay
The Philippine Star
Walter Balane
MindaNews
Aurea Calica
The Philippine Star
Cong Corrales
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Gulf News
Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Blogwatch.ph
Philippine Online Chronicles
Melvin Gascon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
FCT Publications
Jon Joaquin
Mindanao Daily Mirror
Germelina Lacorte
Davao Today
Cherry Ann Lim
Sun.Star Cebu
Jeffrey Ocampo
Pinoy Weekly
Soliman Santos
Pinoy Weekly
Bobby Timonera
MindaNews
Jaemark Tordecilla
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Ivy Vibar
Philippine Online Chronicles
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