To promote investigative journalism to young journalists, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), in collaboration with the PUP Journalism Guild, commenced its Investigative Journalism (IJ) Campus Caravan at the College of Communication Audio Visual Room on March 21.
(Photos by Dulce Amor Rodriguez & Kriza Marielle Sumang/PUP Journalism Guild)
The event highlighted the basics of investigative journalism and access to information through the lens of reports about pressing topics in the drug war and agriculture with esteemed speakers such as PCIJ fellow Leilani Chavez, Filipino Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Manuel “Manny” Mogato, and experienced lawyer and advocate Atty. Eirene Jhone Aguila.
Chavez discussed the background of her recognized work in an in-depth report on rice prices in the Philippines and its relevance to society.
“For me, the biggest question I ask myself is, why is rice expensive? Because I started doing this [in] September, that was the time we had a price ceiling in place. So that’s what we tried to know,” Chavez asserted.
She also shared her experiences and challenges as she covered the topical topic of rice prices during 2023, including the technicals behind it.
“Kasi while I was doing the story, ang hirap kumuha ng source. Nobody wants to talk to me. Yung nakikita niyo sa news reports, I reached out to all of them and nobody responded. So it was a difficult period to look for sources,” she recounted.
Chavez added that while doing their data analysis, there was no government data to support the number of retailers and their contribution to the rising rice prices. In this case, they utilized the published data from the Philippine Statistic Authorities (PSA) to include the rice production per province.
Meanwhile, Mogato tackled how they investigated the case regarding Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war and mentioned that when he was still working for Reuters along with his team and interns, he dedicated 17 months to that issue, which became a ten-story series of special reports.
The reports contain information such as the victims, the perpetrators, and the police involvement in the drug war. Data for crime reports and video footage were obtained through the hours of groundwork by Andrew Marshall and Clare Baldwin in areas that had numerous killings.
“[Interns] Clare and Andrew spent many hours in the slums area in Payatas, Quezon City, interviewing all [the] people around [them],” Mogato stated.
However, in 2017, he said that it became harder for them to get information from the police since the Duterte administration was counteracting their published reports about the drug war.
Aguila, on the other hand, addressed the issues of freedom of information and how crucial it is for journalists to be well-versed in the information they need, as they are the ones to inform the public about what is happening.
“Democracy cannot bloom on the topsoil of an ignorant mass,” she firmly stated.
Aguila also emphasized the need for fact-checking and shaping opinions with the truth, “Opinions [that] are at least not guided by data are just noise.”
Question-and-answer portions occurred after the speakers discussed and were followed by the closing message delivered by PCIJ Training Director Rowena Paraan.
The Polytechnic University of the Philippines–Sta. Mesa was the caravan's initial stop, while its second leg was at St. Paul University in Quezon City on March 22.
Article: Maricel Galut & Rica Labbao
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