In line with the Media and Communications Fest 2024, student publications across the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) system convened on June 6 and 7 at Bulwagang Bonifacio for the PUP Campus Press Assembly (PCPA) 2024.
Themed “Upholding Truth amidst Media Manipulation,” journos tackled issues plaguing the press, such as censorship and distortion, with esteemed speakers.
Upholding Truth Amidst Media Manipulation
PCPA kicked off its first day with PUP University Printing Press Editor, Assoc. Prof. Arnold Timoteo’s talk on media manipulation.
Timoteo cited five types: bot networks utilized to spread disinformation, biased reporting, the use of algorithms or echo chambers that continuously feed an online user with a certain agenda, censorship, and regulatory capture that entraps journalists into the intricacies of regulations hindering coverage.
Such types of media manipulation cause dents in society’s information ecosystem by inducing a loss of confidence in sources of information, undermining democratic processes, reigning falsehood, and widening political divisions.
He emphasized the role of campus journalists in communicating alternative views to the public by presenting compelling narratives and concrete solutions and filling the gaps left by the mainstream media, which is limited by establishment and political interests.
“You have the responsibility to echo and advocate alternative news. The mainstream media cannot do anything. This is where you come in,” he said.
Also, Timoteo encouraged campus journalists to engage in discussions and town hall meetings on pending legislation and regulations as participants in nation-building, which entails building partnerships with different organizations and sectors of society.
Campus Journalism 101
PUP Research Publication Office Editorial Section Chief, Assoc. Prof. Prestoline Suyat underscored that student publications should be independently published by the students and in the interest of the students. Usually composed of “intellectuals,” campus journalists should be servants and servant-leaders for the studentry.
“Hindi lang kailangang mulat, hindi lang kailangang organisado. Kailangang patunayan natin bilang servant and servant-leaders na ang diyaryo ay pinapatakbo natin nang effective at efficient,” he said, also reiterating their duties to be professional and accountable and the need for the campus press’ regular circulation.
The press should also adapt to the medium in which the masses consume information, especially with the advent of social media, Suyat discussed. He shared that veteran journalists suggest that the flow of information to the masses across platforms should be studied and publications should not cease operations due to being confined to conventional mediums.
Power to the People: Citizen Journalism and Free Press
When correspondents are unavailable or in unreachable locations, Chief Content Aggregator and Training Officer for Bayan Mo, iPatrol Mo Dabet Castañeda-Panelo, said that citizens have a vital role in relaying news through social media, especially during calamities.
Citizen journalism also serves as a bridge between communities and appropriate government agencies to create solutions. She cited a case of citizens reporting on persistent flooding in their street, which was then aired on television, showing how it can raise unseen issues to national prominence.
“Kung ang istorya mo ay walang butas, tatayo at tatayo ‘yan. Ang best defense mo sa istorya mo ay pagsasaliksik,” Castañeda-Panelo asserted. Reports from citizens also undergo a series of verification; however, some stories do not make it outside the newsroom.
“The biggest battle is in the newsroom,” she added, believing that prior restraint is the most frustrating form of censorship.
On Media Censorship
Media censorship has adapted to the digital realm. Bulatlat Editor-in-Chief Ronalyn Olea delved into how distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks targeted major and community news organizations during the previous elections. DDoS attacks are malicious attempts to overwhelm websites’ traffic, making them inaccessible to users.
In 2021, several news sites, such as Bulatlat, Altermidya, Pinoy Weekly, ABS-CBN News, Rappler, and Vera Files, were down due to such attacks. The attacks continued years before the elections, targeting GMA News Online and CNN Philippines during the presidential debates and community media Interaksyon, PressONE.ph, Mindanao Gold Star Daily, and Kodao Productions.
Sweden-based digital forensics organization Qurium Media traced the origins of the attacks against critical media to a Davao-based hacker linked to Pinoy Vendetta, a group responsible for DDoS attacks on news sites and praised by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for paralyzing the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) website.
Olea stated that the attacks were clearly “politically motivated” as the media outlets were critical of the Duterte administration and the sites published fact-checking misinformation regarding the Marcoses before the attacks.
“Naging prominent siya noong elections and it could still be done sa mga susunod,” she said. As of writing, there are still no laws protecting the media from such arbitrary attacks.
Caused by conflicting interests due to media ownership, self-censorship is also prevalent in online journalism today. Olea cited the takedown of INQUIRER.net’s article on House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s multi-million-dollar donation to Harvard University’s first Filipino language program.
The news outlet justified its deletion, saying the story violated the website’s standards as it was “based mainly on unnamed sources” who “therefore raised questions about their true identity and credibility.” Sandy Prieto Romualdez, wife of his brother Philip Romualdez, owns the Inquirer Group of Companies.
Breaking away from manipulation
Campus journalists shared the struggles and worries that come with being truthtellers; one of them is dealing with prior restraint.
As a campus journalist himself, Kagawaran ng Filipinolohiya Prof. Christopher Pasion highlighted the importance of solidarity in documenting and clamoring incidents of campus and media repression.
“Nagkakaroon ng lakas ng loob ‘yong mga taong pumipigil at umaatake sa pamamahayag is because of [a] lack of public outrage. Kasi kung mas maraming nag-iingay, makikita natin ‘yong solidaridad hindi lang ng campus press… pati na rin ng marginalized sectors,” Pasion said.
The campus press is more capable of holding power to account since they have no political or economic interests, Suyat highlighted. They are expected to amplify the narratives of the studentry and expound on national issues, bridging university life to the bigger picture of Filipino society.
Article: Mary Rose Maligmat
Graphics: Aldreich Pascual
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