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Monday, November 14, 2005
Arroyo aide to media: Don't be onion-skinned
MANILA -- Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye on Sunday called the media "onion-skinned" for complaining that they are being gagged by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Bunye, in his weekly column, said media are "not above scrutiny" even if they form a powerful sector in society. "They should not also be onion-skinned. It appears that some of them can only dish out but cannot take criticisms," he said.
He said he is "surprised" that some segments of the press have been stung by Arroyo's statements that media's "bad boy(s)" are becoming part of the "malaise" rather than part of the solution to the country's problems.
Balance, fairness
He said he is "appalled" that some people have taken advantage of the opportunity to criticize Arroyo instead of joining her in appealing for greater responsibility in media.
"Media should not take offense at the President's statements nor complain that it is being gagged. Some of them need to be reminded of the fundamental rules of balance and fairness," he said.
He said the Philippine media enjoy so much freedom as shown in the headlines of newspapers and the prime time news of broadcast stations. He said while most journalists are responsible, "there are also those who take perverse glee in highlighting all that is ugly in our country and people, when there is much more that is positive and uplifting."
Inspire people
The press secretary said media should inspire the people and give them relief from excessive politicking. "It is time to turn self-destructive negativism into positive images about our country and our people that we can rally behind," he added.
Bunye also disputed findings of the Paris-based organization Reporters without Borders that the Philippines ranked 139th out of 167th in the world's press freedom index.
He said the results of the study "do not hew to reality" because crusading journalists have not been hindered by high incidence of media killings in the country since 1986.
"The police are on top of these killings and we are bringing several culprits to justice, and these cases should not be reason to say that the press is being gagged in any manner," he said.
A study by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) showed that since 1986, 54 journalists have been killed in connection with their work while 17 were killed outside their line of duty.
Of the number, 32 were killed during the Arroyo administration. As of May this year, five journalists have been killed. (JMR/Sunnex)
(November 14, 2005 issue)
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