Sara Duterte: PH journalism falls short of international standards

Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday criticized the state of journalism in the Philippines, saying local media fall short of international standards and lamenting what she described as Filipinos prioritizing money over values. Duterte made the remarks after she was asked about claims that some of her statements had been taken out of context and used to portray her and the Duterte family negatively. “Kung ganyan ang pamumuhay ng journalism sa Pilipinas, hindi talaga uunlad ang ating bayan," she said in an interview in The Hague, wehre she visited her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte. (If that’s how journalism operates in the Philippines, then our country will never truly progress.) She said international media differ in how they present and pursue stories. “Kung makita mo international media, paano sila magpresenta ng balita, paano sila naghahanap ng mga isyu na balita, napakalayo ng kalidad ng journalism sa ibang bansa ikumpara mo sa atin," (If you look at international media—how they present the news and how they look for newsworthy issues—the quality of journalism abroad is far different from what we have here.) Sara also criticized some local media organizations, saying financial motives should not drive journalism. “Unfortunately, kung gagawin talaga natin araw-araw na just for money, wala talagang pagbabago na mangyayari sa ating bansa, sa journalism man, sa mainstream media man, o sa iba’t ibang aspeto ng ating bayan," (Unfortunately, if we do things every day just for money, no real change will happen in our country—in journalism, in mainstream media, or in other aspects of our society.) She said social media has given people another avenue to see events from different perspectives. “Buti na lang, meron na tayong social media ngayon. Para nakikita natin kung ano talaga ang katotohanan na nakita ng tao at lumabas sa bibig ng tao," (It’s a good thing we now have social media so we can see what people actually witnessed and what they truly said.) She also expressed concern over what she described as changing values among Filipinos. “Nakakalungkot na marami sa ating mga Pilipino ang ginawang Diyos ang pera." (It’s saddening that many Filipinos have made money their god.) She added that Filipinos should instead be guided by values such as bayanihan, discipline, resilience, and other positive traits. —LDF, GMA News