Bloggers in Malacañang?

In her article at Rappler entitled “Inside Martin Andanar’s man cave,” Chay Hofileña wrote: “Early on, after Duterte won as president, the first thing that Andanar asked the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) officers was if bloggers like “Thinking Pinoy” could be accredited as members of the press corps. Clear about the distinction between the role of the press and that of pro-Duterte bloggers, the officers said no.” This alone shows the prejudice of MPC toward bloggers, and how they think highly of themselves to decide whether or not someone could be a part of the group that covers the President. Furthermore, MPC has called out Secretary Martin Andanar regarding his statement about media’s “misreporting” of the President’s statement regarding martial law. In the released statement of MPC, they stated that:

“The media has no obligation to please or satisfy its sources because its loyalty is to the citizens, those who will be affected by the actions of people who are far more powerful than them.”

And that they “encourage the good secretary and his officials to read the entire news stories, not just the heads or titles, to get a better picture of the media’s coverage of the President.” 

While I agree that the media’s loyalty should be to the Filipino citizens, they must also be devoted in providing them accurate information whether we’re talking about the full article or just the headline.

Yes, it is advisable that a person must read the whole article to fully understand the content, but aren’t headlines somehow a part of the articles as well?

If the headline presents a context contrary to the content of the article, isn’t that a part of the journalist’s responsibility? Shouldn’t journalists be accountable in using a misleading headline? 

This is, for me, is one of the reasons why traditional media is gradually losing its credibility and the trust of the people. Filipinos are noticing the unbalanced way of reporting when it pertains to President Duterte compared to reports regarding other government officials like Senator De Lima or Vice President Robredo.

Case in point: how some traditional media seems to present Duterte as the “killer” president, De lima as the “champion” of justice and human rights, and Robredo as “flawless” representative of democracy.

Therefore, if the main responsibility of the press is to provide information to the people but are failing to do so accurately, which was pointed out several times  by blogs like Thinking Pinoy, Sass Rogando Sasot, and Mindavote; isn’t it about time for bloggers to have their place in covering the President and provide Filipinos the full information that they deserve to know? If the MPC is sincere in their responsibility to the people, what’s preventing them from welcoming the inclusion of bloggers in their group? Their pride or are they just afraid of the competition?

?In an open letter to Secretary Martin Andanar, Sass Rogando Sasot wrote:

“At first traditional fashion writers looked down on fashion bloggers for the very same reasons Pia Ranada Robles and her sorority condescendingly dismissed bloggers, calling them all sorts of names, self-servingly selected by these brats to prop up their image. But the influence of fashion bloggers and their ability to engage and maintain a connection with their audience merited them a place under the same sun as fashion journalists. Because fashion bloggers follow the beat of their own drum, they changed the game for the better with their iconoclast approach to fashion, more significantly they brought fashion closer to the people.”

I believe that MPC has been sitting in their high castle for so long that they tend to look down on people they deemed below them who, in this case, are the bloggers and because of this they tend to look past on one of the positive factors that bloggers could put on the table: connect with the people.

In this age where people no longer fully trust the news they see on mainstream media, saying no to the accreditation of bloggers in the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) only shows that what they fight for is not really the people but for them to be the only source of information; because if the goal is to fully inform Filipinos, then expanding the source of information shouldn’t be a problem at all. Unless, of course, their decision was affected by the blogger’s attack on some of the reports by mainstream media.

?In conclusion, what matters is not the comparison between the bloggers and journalists, or which of them is better because both have one goal if they write articles about the President – to inform the public accurately.

What should matter is not who will be the first one to release a story, but who could provide a complete and truthful one.

So, should bloggers be accredited by Malacañang?

Yes, especially because the growing distrust of the public on some traditional media calls for a change to happen. If the bloggers could inform Filipinos more accurately, if the bloggers could connect and communicate better to the people the statements of the President, and if the inclusion of the bloggers in the MPC could lead for the press to evolve – then this is a change that must happen. 

However, if the MPC would firmly lock their door to bloggers, then a separate group must be created for the bloggers who intend to cover the President.

Secretary Martin Andanar must open a door in the ‘People’s Palace’ – a term used by President Duterte referring to Malacañang –  for the bloggers who make  it a priority to be accurate in providing information and connect with the Filipino people instead of just being the first one to release a story.