Affirming news media’s loyalty to the public
The news media have always been regarded as a vital component in a democracy like the Philippines. However, where does one go to when the press errs in its reporting? Who then watches the watchdog?
The answers may lie with press councils. A well-functioning press council—supported by the news media and various stakeholders in the community—can serve not just the press in regulating its own practice, but more importantly, the larger public to which the news media should be accountable for. An effective press council can also prove to be a deterrent to outside interventions and attempts to stifle press freedom.
That is why this year, the Philippine Press Institute (PPI), also known as the national association of newspapers, conducted a series of consultation-meetings from August to October to discuss the pos- sibility of organizing local press councils in four major Philippine cities: Bacolod, Davao, San Fernando in Pampanga, and General Santos. With support from Coca-Cola FEMSA, PPI met with representatives from its member-newspapers, other media entities, and stakeholders in the four cities to discuss how press councils can serve their communities.
A press council is media’s way of showing their
social responsibility to the public, explains PPI chairman and president Jesus G. Dureza in the consultations. “The press should not make it difficult for people to complain.”
Press councils are also a way of proving that the media do—and should— not need intervention from the government. This is why the PPI has been advocating for the creation and activation of press councils, along with its stand against legislated right of reply.
Red Batario, executive director of Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD), shares a similar view. It is the responsibility of the press to build avenues for dialogue and discourse with the public, he said.
A citizens-press council—one that is not only composed of journalists but also of members of the academe, business, legal community, civil society, and other sectors—can also be a deterrent to outside attempts to curtail freedom of the press, explained season community journalist Pachico Seares, who served as a resource person in the seminars. Seares is the executive director of the Cebu CitizensPress Council (CCPC).