Mainstream Media Credit not attractive anymore

ARTICLE FEEDBACK
FOR
Vincent Maher
re Blogger's Investigation Ousts Swedish Minister

You have underscored “has not been credited” by mainstream media. As for me, I would not depend too much on them. Before, they were the kings. In the context of today, they are not.

The point is that production of information is not only for the powerful nowadays. It is only that they have the machinery, and the usual audience that are mostly advertisers. But today, with technology and open access to the Internet, citizens have learned that they do not have to kowtow anymore to traditional media which lords it over in mainstream media. Blogging is just as powerful. The information highways now have almost equalized access to ideas and their dissemination.

On constructive nudging, this is where we can play our part as bloggers. There are many issues around that are not touched by traditional journalists. In the Philippines, for example, no one is paying attention to the evil effects of block voting done by a religious sect that is courted even by presidential candidates. After elections, the sect collects in so many ways, putting its influence in many quarters in as sensitive as law enforcement and justice. I’ve done my part here. I’ve sent my challenge to investigative journalists. It remains to be seen if someone has the guts to follow up and act on it.

Measuring the Preacher Soriano of Dating Daan

Re: Movie-TV board suspends Brother Eli’s ‘Dating Daan’
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer
Last updated 00:54am (Mla time) 08/13/2006

Published on page F1 of the August 13, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The reporter wrote: Laguardia quoted the memo, which stated: “[The] utterances of Soriano… constitute a violation of Section 3, par. (c), v and vii of Presidential Decree No. 1986 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.”

When you write news and you mention a law or statute or whatever regulation you said is being violated, you should spell out or at least give a gist of the concerned regulation. At least when you do this, you preclude mistaking paragraphs that are supposed to be violated. In this regard, I think your writer is mixed up in mentioning the supposed paragraphs. Paragraph v is about drugs.

I have scanned for that regulation from the Internet and this is what it says of Section 3, par. (c), v and vii of Presidential Decree No. 1986

SECTION 3. Powers and Functions. - The BOARD shall have the following functions, powers and duties:

c) To approve or disapprove, delete objectionable portions from and/or prohibit the importation, exportation, production, copying, distribution, sale, lease, exhibition and/or television broadcast of the motion pictures, television programs and publicity materials subject of the preceding paragraph, which, in the judgment of the board applying contemporary Filipino cultural values as standard, are objectionable for being immoral, indecent, contrary to law and/or good customs, injurious to the prestige of the Republic of the Philippines or its people, or with a dangerous tendency to encourage the commission of violence or of wrong or crime, such as but not limited to:

i) Those which tend to incite subversion, insurrection, rebellion or sedition against the State, or otherwise threaten the economic and/or political stability of the State;

ii) Those which tend to undermine the faith and confidence of the people in their government and/or the duly constituted authorities;

iii) Those which glorify criminals or condone crimes;

iv) Those which serve no other purpose but to satisfy the market for violence or pornography;

v) Those which tend to abet the traffic in and use of prohibited drugs;

vi) Those which are libelous or defamatory to the good name and reputation of any person, whether living or dead; and

vii) Those which may constitute contempt of court or of any quasi-judicial tribunal, or pertain to matter which are sub-judice in nature.

Provided, however, That deletions or cuts must not be made on the master negative of the films, and that such master negative shall be deposited with the Film Archives of the Philippines and shall be released for export purposes to the film owner only upon showing of the proper export permit; Provided, finally, That the film owner shall execute his own undertaking that such master negative shall be exclusively used for export purposes and not for local showing;

To supervise, regulate, and grant, deny or cancel, permits for the importation, exportation, production, copying, distribution, sale, lease, exhibition, and/or television broadcast of all motion pictures, television programs and publicity materials, to the end that no such pictures, programs and materials as are determined by the BOARD to be objectionable in accordance with paragraph (c) hereof shall be imported, exported, produced, copied, reproduced, distributed, sold, leased, exhibited and/or broadcast by television;

Respondent Eliseo Soriano can be better appreciated for his merits or demerits by looking into where he comes from.

First, Soriano is a preacher tasked to spread the word of God. Second, because of his mission, he has the Bible for his authority on the width and breadth of his speaking. Therefore, in case of conflict, he would take the first cause.

Telling the truth – if only to use it for the spread of God’s word, has no limits. For example, what bad practices he sees that must be stopped, Soriano would tell it as it is. Otherwise, he would fail in his mission.

This is the lot of a preacher faithful in his mission. He would willingly suffer than fail in his task. Let the whole world be against him but he has his God to satisfy. Laws that are man-made, if they contravene God’s word, are toothless. He has a more powerful God to obey.