A veteran broadcast journalist of a national television network acknowledged Friday that corruption in media is difficult to prove even though personally she has some indications to determine whether a journalist is, indeed, corrupt.
Gigi Grande, news editor and reporter of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., aired her views Friday during a forum spearheaded by the Embassy of Canada, represented by Public Affairs Officer Carlo Figueroa, through the Silliman University College of Mass Communication.
Grande, reacting to a question thrown from the floor, said there is no study on corruption in the media.
But there are signs that anyone could easily determine whether a media practitioner was taking bribe money or payola or even “gifts” from politicians and other news sources in exchange for a story pitch in their favor, Grande said.
One indication would be biglang yaman (sudden unexplained wealth) or living the lifestyle of the rich and famous, the lady reporter pointed out.
A reporter or any media practitioner who starts out with a simple lifestyle then would suddenly own a high-end car, be traveling to places, and enjoying some luxuries in a short period of time could be subject to a lifestyle check, she said.
“I believe there are those who accept [money for promoting content] but I don’t have proof,” Grande added.
But she added that corruption happens everywhere, and not just with editors and the media.
Grande was awarded in September 2016 as recipient of the prestigious Marshall McLuhan Prize sponsored by the Embassy of Canada, after producing several special and in-depth reports covering the 2016 poll campaign that looked into the party-list system, campaign rules, social issues, and the candidates’ character.
As a McLuhan fellow, Grande embarked last year on a two-week familiarization and lecture tour of Canadian media and schools like the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver; and this year, a lecture tour in Philippine universities.
The award is named after the Canadian media and communications scholar who espoused as early as the pre-Internet days in the 1960s the concept that “the medium is the message”. McLuhan argued that the platform determines the ways in which the message is perceived, and that electronic communications would have far-reaching sociological, aesthetic, and philosophical consequences, to the point of altering the ways in which we experience the world.
In the forum at Silliman, Grande agreed with an observation by a local reporter, who was a reactor during the forum, that journalists are not well-compensated for their jobs, not only in the provinces but even in the big cities.
Grande said that is why she works two jobs, even as she admitted that at one point in her career, somebody attempted to bribe her by giving her an envelope with a large wad of cash — which she returned, feeling insulted.
She also gave tips to MassCom students from various schools in Dumaguete on responsible media, especially in the age of social media, fake news, and “alternative truth”.
Critical thinking is a must, and one must double check and verify information before believing it or worse, sharing it online, she said.
Research skills would also be a big help for journalists to obtain the correct information, and share the right content with their audience.
Finally, a reported must also have the courage to ask tough questions, and “ignore” threats, harassment, and bullying from trolls and online bashers, she said.
Grande admitted that reporters “do make mistakes” and that is why the public gets bad news due to sloppy work, biased reporting, news reports with an agenda, or those that lack research.
She advised that reporters must have the courage and humility to allow their stories to be subject for editing before they go on air or get printed.
Truthfulness, fairness, and accuracy are among the virtues of a responsible reporter, she said.
Despite the meager pay, being a journalist is not just about doing it for the love of the job but it is an advocacy to inform the people, and help make a difference in their lives, Grande stressed.
Grande’s topic focused on Journalism in Challenging Times: Media as Guardians of Democracy & Watchdog of Society.
The Marshall McLuhan Prize is the Embassy of Canada’s flagship public diplomacy initiative. Launched in 1997, it encourages investigative journalism in the Philippines with the belief that a strong media is essential to a strong democratic society. Every year, the Center for Media Freedom & Responsibility assists the Canadian Embassy in choosing a Filipino journalist who has either published an outstanding piece of investigative report, who has a collective body of journalistic work that contributes to positive social changes, or who has raised the level of public discourse in a relevant issue.
Aside from contributing to good governance by raising transparency in the public arena, the McLuhan Prize also aims to create in the long-term a critical mass of influential media personalities with good knowledge and interest in Canadian issues, or at least the values Canada stands for: democracy, good governance, and human rights. (JFP)
