It noted 75 cases pertaining to violations of press freedom under Marcos’ rule from June 2022 and April 2023, including the killing of journalists Percival Mabasa, Cresenciano Aldovino Bunduquin, and Rey Blanco, and the use of legal action against journalists. 

Red-tagging remains a tool to harass and silence journalists, with targets from both mainstream and alternative media including ABS-CBN, Rappler, Bulatlat, and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). 

A major proponent of red-tagging is the far-right broadcast network Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), in what is a continuance of its ways from the Duterte years.

Ironically, RISJ included SMNI in its ranking of media organizations’ reach, thus lending a semblance of legitimacy to an organization with a known history of peddling and amplifying disinformation, and red-tagging journalists and activists. SMNI is owned by a preacher who is wanted in the US for alleged crimes of rape and human trafficking.

In its inclusion of SMNI in the rankings presented via a table, it grouped the organization with ones that abide by journalistic standards. 

Trust scores

The report cited one extreme example of the law being weaponized to silence journalists is the case of two broadcasters in Southern Luzon who are facing a whopping 941 counts of cyber libel put up by a provincial governor.

Rappler was acquitted of tax evasion cases in January, but the cyber libel case involving CEO Maria Ressa and former Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. remains pending in the Supreme Court.

The RISJ noted the correlation between low media trust scores and constant media criticism. It said, “Politicians and activists are seen as a main source of media criticism in the Philippines (46%), where journalists critical of the government are routinely branded communists or terrorists.” 

It also said that the public’s perception of Rappler is “no doubt in part influenced by ongoing social media attacks from influencers, partisan activists, and others.” 

Part of the RISJ’s annual report is a table showing trust scores of media groups among the populace. Rappler has a 47% “Trust” score, 33% “Don’t Trust” score, and 21% “Neither” score, compared to last year’s 46% “Trust” score and 32% “Don’t Trust” score. 

RISJ said about the trust scores that “some independent outlets respected for their reporting on those in positions of power are often actively distrusted by supporters of the politicians in question and subject to coordinated harassment, so scores should not be seen as a measure of the quality or trustworthiness of the content.” 

In spite of that, the table and accompanying graphics have been used in information operations to tear down the credibility of news organizations that try to hold power to account. 

Ressa on the release of the 2023 report, told The Guardian, “We are not alone. This ‘study’ is like giving a loaded gun to autocratic governments trying to silence independent journalists not just in the Philippines but in countries like Brazil and India, where information operations and the lawfare are used to persecute, harass, and chill.”

Ressa also announced that she had resigned last year over the RISJ report’s measurement of trust scores. Ressa went public with the move this week as the metric continued to be used this year, without sufficiently taking into account the disinformation campaigns that Rappler has endured through the years, and social media algorithms’ biases for hate and lies. 

“Last year I resigned from the board because I thought it was horrendous that they went ahead with it and that it was weaponized and used against us, at a critical time,” Ressa told The Guardian. “Government officials were quoting Oxford University’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism to attack us.” 

“I still have decades of jail hanging over me. So to actually do this again, despite repeated warnings, is just unfathomable to me,” Ressa added.

In her resignation letter to RISJ in July 2022 after the organization released its media trust scores for that year, Ressa said: “The graphics you have used through the years are misleading and lack proper labels. The note you quote, ‘should not be treated as a list of the most trusted brands’ is not enough when it’s not part of the chart itself. It also then belies why have that chart in the first place for what are – at most – vanity metrics. The way you market the report and its headlines lead to what you call ‘abuse’ but they are natural consequences of this flawed approach.” 

“When journalists are under attack, it isn’t business as usual for academics studying journalism. This isn’t just bad actors manipulating the study; the flaw is in the study itself,” Ressa wrote. She argued that RISJ’s methodology lacks the sensitivity in carefully considering how such metrics can be weaponized in the current Philippine media landscape, if not contextualized sufficiently.

Rappler’s head of disinformation research Gemma Mendoza also wrote in an opinion piece: “So why is it important – imperative – for an institution like the RISJ to contextualize its reports this way? Because by not placing its scoreboard in the proper context, this yearly exercise becomes nothing more than a popularity contest. It can be weaponized against any news organization who dares speak truth to power.” 

The scoreboard graphs remain in this year’s edition. 

Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia, backed up Ressa’s words, telling The Guardian, “[This report] is interpreted as being a comprehensive view of everything going on in journalism but, if you only take an audience view of the threats to journalism, specifically in markets where you do not have strong protections for a free press, you are at high risk of ending up with a distorted picture.” 

The RISJ said that it has considered Ressa’s input in reviewing their methodology, to “mitigate against the risk of abuse” but concedes that like “all work in the public domain, our research can be abused.” 

TikTok continues fast growth

According to the report, online and social media are still the most popular sources of news in the Philippines, with 86% of the 2,284 surveyed earlier this year indicating that online platforms as a source of news. Social media followed at 70%, while TV declined from last year’s 60% to 52%, and print declined from last year’s 16% to 14%. 

TikTok continues to grow fast, with 21% now accessing news on it, a growth of 6% percentage points from last year’s 15%, and a big leap from just 2% in 2020. It overtook Twitter to be the fourth-most popular social media platform for news, but still trailed Messenger, YouTube, and Facebook in that order. 

Globally, visual platforms are poised to grow, according to RISJ. “In the longer term, our data suggest that significant shifts in audience behaviour, driven by younger demographics, are likely to kick in, including a preference for more accessible, informal, and entertaining news formats, often delivered by influencers rather than journalists, and consumed within platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Visual and audio formats won’t replace text online, but they are set to become a more important part of the mix over the next decade,” RISJ said. 

This year’s report also warned about AI. “New technological disruption from Artificial Intelligence (AI) is just around the corner, threatening to release a further wave of personalized, but potentially unreliable content. Against this background, it will be more important than ever for journalism to stand out in terms of its accuracy, its utility, and its humanity.”

“There will be many different paths but innovation, flexibility, and a relentless audience focus will be some of the key ingredients for success,” the RISJ said. – Rappler.com

Rather than a sign of disrespect for the billionaire who made his fortune in commercial television before going into politics, the buoyancy of the shares reflects the options that could open for the company as its founder exits the scene.

MFE, 48% owned by the Berlusconi family’s Fininvest holding, runs commercial TV channels in Italy and Spain, and has built a substantial stake in Germany’s ProSieben.

Led by the former PM’s son Pier Silvio Berlusconi, it has pursued European expansion from its Italian roots to try to hold its own against the US streaming giants that take a growing chunk of viewers.

In a fast-changing media landscape, some investors bet that his heirs may be more open to seeking a partner for MFE, or selling to a larger rival.

MFE’s second biggest shareholder, French media group Vivendi, is widely seen in the industry as the main candidate. But a standstill accord the two companies reached in 2021 to settle a years-long legal war prevents Vivendi from raising its 23% stake until 2026.

B-shares in MFE rose as much as 10.3% on Monday and were up 3.7% at 1330 GMT, giving it a market capitalization of 1.6 billion euros.

“When the ownership of a company is in question, investors will first buy and then see what happens,” said Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffè, strategy professor at Milan’s SDA Bocconi management school.

‘Pneumatic drill’

The 86-year-old tycoon never publicly named an heir, but people familiar with the matter told Reuters his eldest child, Marina, who already chairs Fininvest, is the most likely to take the reins.

Marina, 56, has led Fininvest’s board since 2005. In addition to MFE, the family holding company also controls publishing house Mondadori and has a big stake in asset manager Mediolanum.

Shares in Mondadori rose 1.7%.

“Berlusconi may not have laid out succession plans for his party, but he certainly did for his businesses,” Carnevale Maffè said.

Fininvest said in a note on Monday that there would be no changes in the way its businesses are run and a person close to the matter said Berlusconi’s children were united on this.

Prior to 2005, Marina served as deputy chairperson at Fininvest for nine years.

Described by people who work with her as a tough and demanding boss, Marina was catapulted by her father into corporate life in her early 20s and her influence grew when he was forced to take a hands-off role following his entry into politics in 1994.

Fedele Confalonieri, a lifelong friend of her father and chairman of MediaForEurope, once likened her tough business drive to a “pneumatic drill.”

A mother of two and married to a former La Scala ballet dancer, she has seen her leadership at Fininvest grow in importance over the past decade as her father’s health faded.

In a 2018 television interview, Berlusconi said Marina was the child closest to him and that he consulted daily with her before taking any decision, which he also used to do with his mother before she passed away.

“Silvio put her down to work when she was barely more than a child,” Vittorio Giovanelli, a former director of Berlusconi’s Rete4 TV channel, wrote in a 2003 book, adding he started bringing Marina to business meetings in 1985.

“She listened and took notes for hours, she would never stop.”

Inheritance

Berlusconi has a total of five children from his two ex-wives. Marina and Pier Silvio, born from his first marriage, both have executive roles at the family’s businesses, unlike the remaining three heirs.

He was not legally married to his partner Marta Fascina, though on his deathbed he would call her his wife.

Under Italian law, his children have a right to inherit two-thirds of his wealth in equal parts, while the deceased is free to dispose of the remaining one-third how he pleases.

The way Berlusconi decided to divide up his assets among his heirs will only be known once any will is opened.

The one-third of assets which can be assigned freely can be used to pick a leader for the Fininvest companies provided other assets are sufficient to compensate the others, law professor Emanuele Lucchini Guastalla said. – Rappler.com

The year 2016 could very well be the annus horribilis for community journalism. Suddenly legacy news media outlets became “presstitutes” on social media – thanks to the advent of troll farms of various political camps.

Community journalists were hardest hit by the cyberattacks owing to the more intimate nature and proximity of the people they cover compared to the reportage in metropolitan centers in the country.

It was during this same year that there was a spike in the number of online attacks, harassment, and cyberattacks against community journalists and legacy news media outlets. These online attacks were mainly aimed at silencing reportage on the killings under the pretext of the war on drugs by then-president Rodrigo Duterte.

A study by the Freedom for Media, Freedom for All Network, released on November 23, 2018, documented at least 99 cases of “acute and creeping online and offline attacks against news media organizations and journalists” in the first 28 months of Duterte’s presidency, or from July 1, 2016, to October 31, 2018.

That is roughly four journalists attacked online and offline per day.

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, the Philippine Press Institute, MindaNews, and the Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism comprise the network.

Red-tagging

In Cagayan de Oro City, online attacks on various social media platforms have taken a more specific tact: red-tagging.

In March 2020, Cagayan de Oro City-based veteran journalist Froilan Gallardo was red-tagged when he showed solidarity with the television network ABS-CBN on the possible cancellation of its legislative franchise. 

Along with other reporters, Gallardo was attending a rally in support of ABS-CBN at the TV network’s regional office in Barangay Bulua when a courier delivered copies of bond paper-sized posters that accused him of being a member of the revolutionary movement.

The material also targeted the late Nonoy Espina, and his sister Inday Espina-Varona (now Rappler head of Regions), Renwynx “Don” Morgado, a staff member at the Misamis Oriental capitol’s information office, and Loi Algarme, a reporter at Radyo Natin.

“Speaking truth to power is not a crime. I’m getting tired of this red-tagging. I say bring it on,” Gallardo said.

Gallardo pointed out that starting in 2016, partisan bloggers and influencers have drowned out legacy media outlets. He said the partisan influencers had flipped the narratives on almost all of the critical issues affecting Philippine provinces.

The algorithm employed by social media platforms, he added, could also be partly to blame. Gallardo said that social media started out as a platform where we could have an exchange of ideas. But when the trolls of partisan political camps took over, a lot of people were effectively misled.

When former journalist Pam Orias was red-tagged in 2019, she said her parents wept and asked her to leave her job at the now-defunct SunStar Cagayan de Oro Daily (Sunstar-CDO).

“It’s really difficult to reconcile with the concerns of your family and your desire to write,” Orias told MindaNews in an August 7, 2019 news article. 

Bandwagon, pressure 

While they appreciate the benefits of social media presence in terms of growing their audience and marketing, Iloilo journalists also acknowledge the downside of the current trend.

May Ortega, news director of Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo, said interaction between a news organization and the audience used to be a one-way setup, but social media “democratized” not just the exchange of opinions but bashing as well.

“The downside of our situation is that everybody can now chime in on just about anything. But it also exposes journalists to attacks and unfair comments that tend to undermine our work. The bandwagon effect is an effective way for our detractors to gang up on us. One nasty comment against us could trigger a flood of reactions from similar minded netizens. Such is what happened to cases of red-tagging of journalists – one false accusation ballooned to the wholesale vilification of our colleagues,” she added.

Panay News editor Glenda Tayona agreed with Ortega’s observations on online attacks against journalists, particularly red-tagging, online bashing, and gaslighting.

“Apart from the pressure of looking for and creating content, the more concerning aspect are attacks on our colleagues in the community. It’s stressful to read nasty comments on our reports but what is more painful are the gaslighting statements that could lead to bodily injury to journalists,” Tayona said.

Apart from online bashing, attacks against journalists have become more sophisticated, like what happened to several news organizations that were part of Facts First PH.

For one, lawfare or the use of laws to intimidate news organizations has become a norm in the Philippines.

The 2022 Digital News Report of Reuters described how a former presidential communications official threatened that “the government’s anticommunist task force intended to take legal action against Rappler for allegedly spreading disinformation, as well as against Facebook for allowing Rappler and Vera Files ‘to abuse the immense powers’ of their designation as the platform’s third-party fact-checkers.”

Cyberattacks on news organizations and fact-checkers also became widespread, particularly in the lead up to the 2022 elections.

“Big and small news organisations were targets of what seemed to be coordinated distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that crippled their websites for hours, even days. Apart from Rappler and Vera Files, ABS-CBN, GMA News, CNN Philippines, Interaksyon, PressOnePH, and Mindanao Gold Star Daily were attacked; so were alternative news sites Bulatlat and Pinoy Media Center. Months earlier, the attacks against Bulatlat and another alternative site were traced to an IP address assigned to the Philippine Army. The country’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index slipped further, by nine spots to 147th out of 180 countries,” the 2022 DNR described the Philippine situation.

Daily Guardian, which is also part of Facts First PH, also suffered DDoS attacks weeks before Filipinos went to the polling centers in May 2022. For three days, its website was inaccessible due to unusually heavy traffic to the site.

Infodemic 

At the height of the pandemic, Cagayan de Oro wasn’t exempt from the deluge of disinformation, from so-called alternative cure against the COVID-19 virus to fake announcements of quarantines.

Community journalists were in a quandary as to where best to source information about the pandemic because most people in government, including the Department of Health-10, were also in the dark and appeared disorganized in disseminating information.

Online trolls, of course, jumped into the chaos.

These fake news articles on the pandemic flooded local Facebook pages. Many of the community journalists had petty arguments with their family members.

“I even have arguments with my mother because she believes in almost anything she reads on Facebook,” said Gallardo.

Exacerbating this anxiety-inducing events on social media, community journalists were also unsure of their job security because many legacy news outlets, especially print medium, shut down. Freelance reporters and contractual media workers bore the brunt financially, especially those who lost their jobs due to closures as their media outlets declared bankruptcy.

Long-time sports reporter Lynde Salgados was so depressed when his outlet SunStar Cagayan de Oro Daily declared bankruptcy on June 30, 2020, that he stopped writing altogether for at least two years.

“This is the only craft I love and am good at. How am I going to feed my family after this?” Salgados said.

Salgados’ editor-in-chief Pamela Orias dreaded the thought of their news outlet shutting down.

“I have no other job options,” Orias said in a Gold Star Daily article. After 25 years, Sunstar-CDO decided to stop running the presses.

Pushing back

Amid the challenges they are facing, community journalists in the Visayas and Mindanao have banded together to reclaim their place on social media platforms.

Most news houses in the provinces are taking the cudgels in fighting for their place in the digital platforms.

Gallardo said it is high time for journalists to push back against disinformation and the attacks.

“The democratic aspirations of the republic will never come to fruition if its people continue to refuse to practice it,” Gallardo said.

Former journalist Joseph Ben Deveza, who now teaches a communication subject in Xavier University’s Development Communication under its College of Agriculture, said the problem started when the legacy news media failed to nip in the bud the fake news the so-called influencers and trolls spread on various social media platforms.

“It is understandable why we were caught flat-footed. Most, if not all, of the handlers of these trolls and influencers used to be our colleagues,” Deveza said.

He said these former community journalists who have “sold their skill sets to the highest bidder” should not only be made to account, but also be called out at every outset in their disinformation attempts.

For his part, Gallardo said community journalists should get back their bearings as the source of vetted and corroborated information in any medium.

“Even if there are new platforms, journalism has not changed. I refuse to believe that the discipline of every newsroom across the country can be defeated by these grammar and truth-challenged influencers,” he said.

“Community journalists must be at the forefront in the fight against disinformation,” Gallardo added. – Rappler.com

Cong Corrales and Francis Allan Angelo are Aries Rufo Journalism fellows.

• SWS survey puts Sara Duterte, Raffy Tulfo as 2028 presidential front-runners

A commissioned survey shows Vice President Sara Duterte is the ‘best leader to succeed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2028.’

• Marcos tells Filipinos to ‘assert liberty day by day’

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a message on Monday, June 12, tells Filipinos to ‘assert our liberty day by day,’ in an ‘age where battles remain but occur in places the eyes cannot see.’

• Ex-senator Rodolfo Biazon dies at 88

Former senator Rodolfo ‘Pong’ Biazon dies at the age of 88 on Monday, June 12. The Biazon family says it is ‘perfectly fitting’ that Biazon passed on Independence Day, adding he ‘dedicated his life and laid it on the line in defending freedom and democracy.’

• NLEX to hike toll rates starting June 15

The North Luzon Expressway Corporation (NLEX) will implement higher toll rates starting June 15. Rates will be hiked by an additional P7 in the open system, and P0.36 per kilometer in the closed system.

• Eldrew Yulo vaults way to junior silver in Asian Gymnastics Championships

Rising gymnast Eldrew Yulo bags the vault silver in the men’s junior division of the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Singapore on Monday, June 12.

• Kaladkaren becomes first transgender Philippine news anchor

Actress and comedian Kaladkaren joins TV5’s Frontline Pilipinas, becoming the first transgender news anchor in the Philippines. She will present the latest entertainment news and trivia for Frontline Pilipinas. 

• ‘Holy grail’: Juan Luna’s lost masterpiece revealed after 132 years

After 132 years, Juan Luna’s missing masterpiece Hymen, oh Hyménée! has been found and returned to the Philippines for the first time.

• Coldplay headed to PH in 2024; EXO drops teaser for ‘EXIST’

British rock band Coldplay is coming back to the Philippines. Meanwhile, K-pop boy group EXO is set to make its highly-anticipated comeback on July 10 with the release of its new album EXIST. — Rappler.com

Two members of the Italian government mourned his passing, with Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini calling him in a statement “a great man and a great Italian.”

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto wrote on Twitter that Berlusconi’s death amounted to the end of an era.

“I loved him very much. Farewell Silvio,” Crosetto said.

Berlusconi, who was prime minister during 1994-5, 2001-6 and 2008-11, had been suffering from leukaemia and had recently developed a lung infection.

Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition, and although he himself did not have a role in government, his death is likely to destabilise Italian politics in the coming months.

His business empire also faces an uncertain future. He never publicly indicated who would take full charge of his MFE MFEB.MI company following his death, even though his eldest daughter Marina is expected to play a prominent role.

Shares in MFE were up by more than 9% at around 0900 GMT. – Rappler.com

“The media is a food chain which would fall apart without local newspapers.” – John Oliver

Social media is a double-edged sword that could spell success or failure, or force a community news organization to make a turn for the worse.

News houses in Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro agree that social media, especially Facebook, helped their respective operations, particularly in distribution and widening their audience.

According to the 2022 Digital News Report (DNR) of Reuters Institute, online news consumption in the Philippines has been growing on various social media platforms.

In a country report written by veteran journalist and UP professor Yvonne Chua, television is still the most popular medium in the Philippines, but the latest report showed a “steady growth of online news consumption including heavy news use on a range of social platforms.”

“Facebook remains the most widely used (73% for news weekly) but the biggest leap comes from TikTok, used by mere 2% for news in 2020 and now by 15%. News organisations correspondingly moved into the platform, especially in time for the elections. Besides being the largest radio and television network, GMA Network is now the country’s largest news creator on TikTok, which it also partnered with for an election campaign series. Other brands that have attracted a loyal following are ABS-CBN, News5, The Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, DZRH, and Rappler,” the report said.

May Ortega, news director of Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo of the Manila Broadcasting Corporation, observed the exponential growth of their Facebook audience from around 20,000 in 2009 to the current 1.1 million followers and 904,000 likes – in a span of 14 years.

Quick adjustments

Ortega said a nephew in Canada suggested that their station should have its own Facebook account for added avenue to more listeners, especially Ilonggos abroad. They converted the Facebook account into a page in 2013 to acquire a bigger audience. 

“The transition to social media is very palpable. We have no other choice but to embrace this shift,” Ortega said.

Embracing means turning broadcast journalism, at least in Iloilo, on its head. Ortega said their function is now a combination of print and TV.

“Before, all we had to do was talk, now we have to learn how to write in Hiligaynon, dabble in graphics, and master the operation of all types of cameras because of the demands of multimedia operations. It’s a steep learning curve for most of us,” she added.

Daily Guardian publisher Lawrence Clark Fernandez said it was imperative for the paper to improve its website and Facebook account to keep up with audience preference. From a mere 15,000 followers in 2021, the paper’s Facebook page now has more than 328,000 followers and 247,000 likes.

From 2021 and 2023, social media accounts accounted for 30%-45% of Daily Guardian’s reader traffic on its official website.

Sean Rafio, social media and online reporter for Daily Guardian, observed that while social media is partly responsible for growing traffic to the official website, news stories posted on the Facebook page get lower traction compared to posts about entertainment personalities and celebrities, pet stories, and funny experiences of netizens.

“Apart from website materials, Daily Guardian also realized the importance of content creation on just about anything that is of interest to the readers. Videos always get the most traction among our native content, while human interest and entertainment stories get a chunk of reactions and shares,” Fernandez added.

Facebook audience preferences

Posts on calamities and stories on corruption also take the fancy of Facebook audiences. One example is the controversial P680-million Ungka flyover which remains unused because of its sinking foundations. Apart from its structural woes, the flyover was also the subject of online ridicule via memes due to flooding after just a few hours of rain.

Seeing the potential for engagement and a way to keep the issue relevant to their audience, Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo initiated a search for the best flyover flooding meme. The contest may have poked fun at the flyover and gained more followers on their part, but Ortega said, it was also one way of keeping the issue alive in the minds of their audience given the gravity of the controversy.

“It was a way of hitting two birds with one stone for us. It was meant to engage the audience not just for the metrics, but also to provide another lens of looking at the issue,” she added.

The flyover flooding meme contest ran from May 2 to May 14, 2023, and expanded Aksyon Radyo’s Facebook page reach to more than 2.07 million.

Glenda Tayona, editor of Iloilo-based Panay News, said it is important for news organizations to strategize on content creation and engagement.

“We observed that videos tend to get more traction on Facebook, that is why we always hold Facebook live coverages of major news events. Breaking news and human-interest stories are also effective in acquiring audience engagement,” Tayona said.

One of the more recent videos that gained significant traction for Panay News is the one that shows a violent altercation in a barangay benefit dance in the town of Tigbauan, Iloilo on March 19. It gained more than 1 million views, 9,200 reactions, and 1,100 comments.

The live coverage of the protest rally at the sinking Ungka flyover in Pavia town on May 23 also garnered more than 4,100 views.

Daily Guardian’s top video post was that of former Ilongga beauty queen Rabiya Mateo answering the preliminary interview for the Miss Universe-Philippines pageant in 2020. It garnered 3.2 million views, 141,000 reactions, and 2,000 comments 

Added income? 

Despite the attacks and challenges, news organizations in Iloilo remain focused on taking advantage of potential benefits from social media.

With its growing online audience, Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo has now begun monetizing its online content, particularly videos, since December 2022.

Based on their monitoring, its Facebook page earned an average of US$150 to $200 per month from December 2022 to March 2023, which then increased to $300 in April 2023.

Ortega said they noticed ad postings on their Facebook video materials which generated income for the station. While the earning is not that significant compared to their traditional advertising revenues, Ortega said the prospects look bright for the station.

“Videos are now generating income from our social media account, but it’s just a small fraction of our overall revenue stream. We still rely on the usual advertising materials. But the growing audience is a good add-on to our marketing strategies to keep us afloat,” she added.

Contrary to the notion that technology will somehow whittle down newsroom manpower, Ortega said their current operations require more digital natives, folks who have the skills to produce materials and navigate the current information environment.

“We need people who are skilled in graphics and those who know how to write for a specific kind of audience. There are certain materials that are optimized for a certain platform. For example, Instagram is more image-based, while TikTok is a venue for short videos. All these we must learn from scratch for most of us,” Ortega said.

Annaliza Amontos-Reyes, program director of dxCC-RMN Cagayan de Oro said that although they have also joined the social media bandwagon, they have yet to monetize their social media accounts.

“Our presence on social media platforms are mainly just for exposure to our clients (ads) and wider reach of audience,” she said. They still do not have staff who will focus on their social media platforms, but they are currently hiring.

Another major challenge is how to balance the desire to get more online traction with the primary work of journalists – to inform and educate the audience.

“We are still journalists at the end of the day and that is our main purpose and reason for being. We must not lose sight of that reality. Along that line, we also have to strictly comply with the community standards of these online platforms or we risk losing our page and audience,” Ortega said.

Knowing, reaching audiences

Apart from hiring a content creator-cum-manager, Daily Guardian also partnered with IT and marketing firm PROMETHEUS, which was founded by Lcid Crescent Fernandez, brother of the paper’s publisher Lawrence Clark Fernandez.

PROMETHEUS has been helping in the technical aspects of content creation and community engagement such as documentary production, podcasts, and videos. Their current project is a documentary on the Ungka flyover which has become a viral issue for Ilonggo netizens.

Daryl Lasafin, head of operations of Iloilo-based IT firm Dame Digital and former news editor of Panay News, said community engagement and exploitation of platforms other than Facebook and Twitter are essential for community news organizations to cope and survive.

Lasafin said there are other ways to grow the audience with different demands and inclinations.

“Instagram audiences have their own demands from content creators. TikTok is also a different animal altogether. Apart from social media, news companies can also try email newsletters that curate audience-specific materials,” he added.

Lasafin said it is vital for community news organizations to know their audience and their preferences to optimize content creation and engagement. He also cautioned that while online platforms are effective ways of distributing the news, these are also competitors of news organizations.

“Facebook is also our competitor. News organizations use the platform for free and Facebook is most likely to push content where it earns. That’s one reality that news organizations must be aware of,” he added.

While social media presents opportunities for growth in community journalism both as a business and public service, it could also be a landmine or rabbit hole that exposes journalists to health and safety risks.

This was more evident between 2016 and 2022, the years of the confrontational Duterte administration compounded by the pandemic and the divisive 2022 presidential elections. (To be concluded) – Rappler.com

NEXT: Part 2 | Social media breeds, spreads contempt of community journalists

Francis Allan Angelo and Cong Corrales are Aries Rufo Journalism fellows.

‘Yan daw ang ligayang dulot ng Eat Bulaga sa loob ng higit sa 43 taon sa ilalim ng mga TV station na RPN9 at GMA7. 

Mabuti pang tawagin na rin nating sanlibo’t isang LASLAS.

Sanlibo’t isang laslas sa psyche ng kabataang manonood ang mga gumigiling na babaeng kakarampot ang saplot habang lalo pang sinesemento ang loyalty ng viewers gamit ang giveaways at papremyo.

43 taon din itong toilet humor, panlalait sa may kapansanan, sa bakla, sa pangit, at sa kababaihan, to name a few.

Dahil household name at walang sintaas ang ratings, hindi matatawaran ang ambag sa dumbing down ng mga Pilipino at pagsayad ng standards natin bilang isang bansa sa kung ano ang “entertainment.”

Panahon nang pag-usapan ang pamana na misogyny, sexism, toilet humor, at pambobobo ng pinakasikat na trio sa Philippine entertainment. Panahon na ring pag-usapan kung papaano hinuhubog ng telebisyon, at ngayon ng internet, ang values natin bilang isang bayan.

Ngayong aampunin na ng TV5 sina TVJ, ito ang pagkakataon ng mga manonood na sabihing, “We deserve better.” – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Kaladkaren continues to blaze a trail for the Filipino LGBTQ community as she joins TV5’s Frontline Pilipinas starting Monday, June 12, becoming the first transgender news anchor in the Philippines.

TV5 and Kaladkaren shared the news in separate social media posts on Friday, June 9. The actress and comedian will present the latest entertainment news and trivia for Frontline Pilipinas. 

“Mas inklusibo na po ang pagbabalita…. Sa wakas, may transgender news anchor na sa Philippine news! (Delivering the news is now more inclusive. At last, there is a transgender news anchor in Philippine news),” Kaladkaren said in her tweet.

She also thanked TV5 president and chief executive officer Guido Zaballero and News5 chief Luchi Cruz-Valdes for the opportunity. 

Kaladkaren was also welcomed by current TV5 anchors such as Gretchen Ho and Jes Delos Santos. 

This will not be her first time to anchor. She was invited as a guest “Star Patroller” for ABS-CBN’s flagship newscast TV Patrol, also becoming the first transgender person to land the role.

Kaladkaren rose to fame impersonating broadcast journalist Karen Davila. She then went on to host various shows, such as the morning talk show Umagang Kay Ganda and the singing competition I Can See Your Voice. She was also a resident judge on Drag Race Philippines.  

Aside from hosting chores, she was also the first transgender to win best supporting actress at the Metro Manila Film Festival’s inaugural summer edition for her role in the comedy Here Comes the Groom. – Rappler.com 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook video posted on June 6 bears the caption “JUST IN- TVJ PANALO NA sa laban ng LEGAL BATTLE sa mga JALOSJOS- TRADEMARK ng EAT BULAGA sa TVJ NA!” (Just in. TVJ won legal battle against Jalosjos. TVJ now owns Eat Bulaga trademark.) It had 550,000 views, 20,000 reactions, 2,300 comments, and 1,100 shares as of writing. 

The facts: The applications for ownership of the Eat Bulaga! trademark under the trio’s names and Antonio Tuviera, former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Television and Production Exponents, Inc. (TAPE), remain pending before the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). 

Based on the global database of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) there are two pending applications on IPOPHL for this trademark:

• by TVJ and Tuviera filed on February 27, 2023 (for merchandise such as clothes, and for entertainment such as television shows)
• solely by De Leon filed on March 22, 2023 (for entertainment such as television shows)

TAPE currently owns the trademark of Eat Bulaga! and its logo under the registration they acquired on June 14, 2013. It is about to expire in five days, as trademark registration lasts for only 10 years pursuant to the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. Such registration can be renewed by a request made six months before or after its expiration. 

The same registration is, however, being challenged via a petition by the trio. The petition seeks to cancel the registration on the ground that it was obtained fraudulently. TAPE has until July 6 to answer the petition, otherwise, it will be declared in default, and the decision will be based on the “available merits and facts such as petitions, evidence submitted, records and applicable provisions of the law.” 

Tito Sotto said they will fight to use the name, Eat Bulaga!, for their show on their new station, TV5, after the trio and other Dabarkads (Eat Bulaga mainstays) left TAPE on May 31. TAPE is the show’s blocktimer on the leading network, GMA. The blocktime agreement is until end of 2024, said GMA.

Conflict: After their dispute with the Jalosjos family, majority owner of TAPE, became public weeks ago, the conflict over who owns the Eat Bulaga! trademark arose.

“In my personal opinion, ‘yun pa rin (the show’s name will still be that). As far as I am concerned, history and the law are on our side on this issue,” Sotto told TV5 on Wednesday, June 7, after they signed a deal with MediaQuest Holdings Incorporated, the company that owns TV5. “Kami ang Eat Bulaga. (We are Eat Bulaga).” 

Sotto said TAPE can now use the trademark only for merchandising, and not for entertainment purposes such as a television show. “The creators are the owners, whether copyrighted or not…. At the moment of creation, you are the owner,” Sotto told CNN Philippines on Monday, June 5.

The show’s name comes from the kid’s game, “Eeet…bulaga!” (Eeet…surprise!), which became Eat Bulaga! since the program airs at noon when people have lunch. It was created by comedian De Leon. – Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com

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This is a public interest issue after he became part of news headlines in the past few weeks following the resignation of ​​Vic Sotto, Tito Sotto, and Joey de Leon as the main hosts of Eat Bulaga!, a show run by TAPE Inc., the production company and blocktimer of the noontime variety show on leading broadcast network GMA.

TAPE Inc.’s president and CEO is Bullet’s half-brother, Romeo “Jon-jon” Jalosjos Jr., former Zamboanga del Norte 1st District congressman who is awaiting a poll protest ruling.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared Jalosjos Jr. winner of the congressional race in Zamboanga del Norte’s 1st District in the May 2022 elections, but only after the poll body disqualified a nuisance candidate who had the same surname. An election protest filed by Roberto Uy Jr. remains pending before the Supreme Court, however, so Jalosjos Jr.’s name is not yet included in the roster of the House of Representatives.

The Jalosjos family owns 75% of TAPE, while 25% is owned by producer Antonio “Tony” Tuviera, the Dapitan mayor said. The chairman of TAPE Inc. is ex-convict and former Zamboanga del Norte congressman Romeo Jalosjos Sr. He was convicted in 1997 for raping an 11-year-old girl. In 2002, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction with finality and he was imprisoned for more than 10 years.

In an interview with Boy Abunda posted on April 19, Bullet Jalosjos said he has been part of TAPE’s board for around three to four years. 

What the Local Government Code says

Section 90 of the Local Government Code of 1991 says: “All governors, city and municipal mayors are prohibited from practicing their profession or engaging in any occupation other than the exercise of their functions as local chief executives.”

University of the Philippines College of Law lecturer Oliver Xavier Reyes distinguished between “practicing a profession” and “engaging in any occupation.”

The former means practicing an activity that is professionally licensed and does not cover general business activities, Reyes said.

Given this definition, Reyes said that Mayor Jalosjos would not be covered under “practicing a profession” unless he is a certified public accountant and works as CFO in that capacity.

The definition of “engaging in any occupation,” on the other hand, is not clear based on jurisprudence, Reyes said.

In a 2019 legal opinion, former Department of the Interior and Local Government undersecretary Marivel Sacendoncillo said that, as far as Section 90 of the LGC is concerned, there is nothing wrong with a local chief executive engaging in a business as long as he or she does not actively participate in its management and daily operations.

“The evil sought to be prevented by the prohibition under section 90 of the Local Government Code is the possibility that local chief executives cannot devote full-time and a faithful performance of their duties and functions as such because their time was eaten up by the exercise of their profession or engagement in an occupation and takes precious time away from the full exercise of their functions and duties as public servants,” Sacendoncillo’s opinion said.

Taking this opinion into account, Reyes said that holding a title like CFO is not by itself proof that Jalosjos is violating Section 9 of the LGC.

“If he is CFO but has staff that handles the day-to-day, and at the end of the day, he is just asked to approve certain decisions via SMS/e-mail, I would argue that such limited activity (despite his title) would not fall under the Section 90 ban,” he said.

Reyes said that the possible violation of the provision would depend on whether Jalosjos’ executive position requires him to be actively engaged in the day-to-day operations of TAPE.

“That is the evil that Section 90 seeks to prevent – that the other occupation/activity distracts him from performing his daily functions as mayor,” Reyes added.

When asked if the appearance of Jalosjos on television and his interviews with other media outlets in the past few weeks as an officer TAPE is an indication that his role as a CFO distracts him from performing his daily functions as local chief executive, Reyes said, “Maybe it is an indication.”

He, however, said that he cannot just conclude without knowing all the facts.

“At the very least, it is an indication that the last few weeks, he has been distracted from performing as mayor, and such behavior is contrary to what Section 90 intends to prohibit,” he said.

Rappler sought Mayor Bullet Jalosjos and DILG for comments, but they have yet to reply as of posting time.

Penalties

The penalties for violating Section 90 of the LGC are not clearly specified in the law.

The Ombudsman, however, would have jurisdiction under Section 19 of Republic Act 6770 (Ombudsman Act of 1989) in case an administrative complaint is filed against the mayor alleging that a public officer had acted “contrary to law.”

The penalties range from fine, suspension, or removal from public office, Reyes said.

Reyes, however, noted that this is a generic power with a generic penalty involving the violation of any law. – Rappler.com