PNA apologizes for attaching wrong logo in Dole story

THE state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) has issued an apology for attaching a wrong photo in its story about the Department of Labor and Employment's (Dole) pay rules for 2018 holidays.

On Friday night, the PNA erroneously used the logo of “Dole,” a company known for producing processed fruit products, instead of using the official seal of labor department to accompany the news article.

Hours after the news agency's editorial staff issued a statement admitting that it made another “careless act.”

The PNA said that a staff “inadvertently attached the wrong photo” rather than the labor department's logo, in an effort to ensure that all stories are accompanied by a photo.

“It was a careless act on the PNA editorial staff,” the statement read.

“Rest assured appropriate action is being taken in pursuit of the delivery of accurate information to our readers,” it added.

It was not the first time the PNA committed blunders.

This week, the PNA also earned criticism after it uploaded on August 6 an article from China's state-run news agency, Xinhua, that ribbed the ruling of Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands on the South China Sea disputes.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar had already sought the PNA's explanation as to why it allowed the posting of the Xinhua's story, which described the arbitral court's decision in favor of the Philippine government as “ill-founded award.”

In May, the PNA was also accused of spreading “fake news” for writing a story about how United Nations member-states supposedly commended the Philippines' human rights situation.

A day later, the PNA was called out for using a photo taken during the Vietnam war to accompany a story about the armed conflict in Marawi City.