Davide commends media, but…

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III has acknowledged the fairness exercised by the local press in its reporting but hopes reporters will be more careful in quoting sources.

“I expect media to be fair in reporting, and transparent pud. But you are doing that,” Davide said.

“Objective reporting man nang inyoha. What comes out of the horses’ mouth, so to speak. You do not inject your own opinion unless you are an opinion writer. (But) so far, you have been fair except for some instances nga sayop ang pagka-quote ba,” he added.

In line with this, he asked that journalists put their stories in proper context.

He explained, “Ako pud tingale sab, sala sab nako kay usahay mosulti ko I swallow my words… di tingale madunggan (It can be my fault at times because I swallow my words and I could not be heard properly).”

Meanwhile, the Provincial Board has passed a resolution encouraging the media to uphold the Journalist’s Code of Ethics.

The resolution points out some media practitioners who reportedly err “be it in form or substance, which adversely affect the integrity and credibility of the news”.

The Journalist’s Code of Ethics of the Philippine Press Institute states that journalists shall “scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts and nor to distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis and recognize the duty to air the other side and the duty to correct substantive errors promptly.”

Media workers in Cebu are currently celebrating the 20th Press Freedom Week, which kicked off Sunday, the same date Martial Law was declared in the Philippines. – (FREEMAN)