Responsible SocMed use during disasters

Typhoon #LandoPH made landfall early today in Aurora. ABS-CBNNews reported midnight that PAGASA has placed Aurora and Southern Isabela under public storm warning signal number 4. “This means that these areas should experience winds of 171 to 220 kph in at least 12 hours.”

Thousands have evacuated from high-risk areas on the coast and mountains and catch basins in many areas, including Mindanao, with the release of a LIST OF AREAS AT RISK OF RECEIVING OVER 100 mm OF RAIN OVER THE NEXT FOUR DAYS.

The Philippines is the world’s social media capital. While Internet penetration is low at less than 40% of the national population, 98% of the 35-million people with Net access are on Facebook.

Let’s use the savvy to help mitigate — not worsen — the damage from Typhoon #LandoPH. Social media is at its most meaningful when used to help those without access to it.

Stand by to pass on information to friends and kin in affected areas.

Check if your barangay office has Internet. If it doesn’t, ask officials if you can share breaking news and information from disaster agencies and news outfits. (There is a lag time getting info through government channels down to the grassroots.) Talk to a responsible official and get his or her number. It is better to focus on channeling info to a few responsible folk. Do the same for immediate neighbours.

You want to be a RESPONSIBLE CONDUIT OF INFORMATION. So remember these guidelines:

MONITOR. Most news outfits have dedicated micro sites for disaster reportage. Pag-asa is on Facebook  and on Twitter as @dost_pagasa. Project NOAH is also a good source of information, especially on rainfall forecast. (We know the deluge can be as deadly as strong winds.)

SHARE CAREFULLY. FOCUS ON OFFICIAL GOVT ANNOUNCEMENTS AND VERIFIED UPDATES from media outfits you trust. This is important because false/fake news circulates during disasters. You do not want to add to panic or, worse, give people false information that can endanger their lives. THIS IS CRITICAL when passing on requests for rescue or evacuation — any false report takes away from efforts for legitimate victims.

PASS ON CRISIS HOTLINE INFO. Do NOT call unless there is urgent need. We want the lines free for those really in need of rescue.

LEARN TO VET FROM YOUR END. If a friend tags you with a photo or video of a disaster event, or a warning, or a call for help, do these things.

If you are sharing direct information to media outfits like BMPM, always give your name, your place, the date and time you took photos or videos. Tell them you will PM your contact details. There are also news apps that allow you to pass information in more secure conditions. Check these out.

Ingat po tayong lahat!

October 18, 2015 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: accountability, children, citizen journalism, Disasters, Events, social mediaTags: #LandoPH, abs-cbn, accountability, Bayan Mo i-Patrol Mo, citizen journalist, disasters, Pag-asa, Project Noah, responsible social media use Leave a comment

The Legal Wife and the attraction of tragedy

INFIDELITY happens everywhere. Photo from Hufftington Post

Given a choice between a book and a soap opera, the book wins every time. Not that I’m above swooning over some hunk or smouldering anti-hero. But even House — or Tyrion Lannister — won’t make me a captive audience, the kind that drops tasks and cancel meetings for the privilege of muttering and cursing at assorted fictional characters.

Angel Locsin and Jericho Rosales, the main stars of ABS-CBN’s “The Legal Wife,” are among my favourite actors. I may not always follow their shows and movies. But these days their top-rating soap opera means a nightly break from round-the-clock news monitoring, to give our Mai-mai free rein to scream and stomp and mutter dark threats. (Her husband, Marlon, smiles and sometimes rolls his eyes.)

The Legal Wife is trending daily on social media. Coffee breaks are devoted to the newest outrage — and comeuppance.

I get the draw. And even critical friends have acknowledged there have been some gems in certain episodes.

Infidelity and betrayal hits the primal psyche. We know it can happen everywhere and to anyone. I don’t know anyone who’s never had to comfort kin or friend when partners stray. The scars can take years and years to heal. And we’re not even talking yet of the physical abuse that often accompanies confrontations and/or appeals.

Infidelity wallops at a person’s self-esteem, mainly because betrayers will often find a way to turn the tables and blame the victims.

A psychologist, on radio, said that if a husband strays, it’s because something’s missing from a marriage. Some talk show hosts quip about wives needing to prettify and re-learn the moves that can get hubby to hyperventilate again. But a Rutgers Univeristy study, cited by Women’s Day, notes:

56 percent of men who have affairs claim to be happy in their marriages. They’re largely satisfied with all they have and aren’t looking for a way out, yet they still find themselves in bed with other women—and in hot water with their wives.

So, you top the ratings, you have some bragging rights. I get that, too. But my friends at ABS-CBN will understand this appeal for some moderation. Sure, report the ratings and the Twittter trends and maybe, some funny/tragic things that happen when people invest so much of themselves in a teleserye.

But a teleserye’s every twist and turn should not swamp other important news. (I’m sure GMA and TV5 have heard similar plaints, too.) Nor do you have to drag out a news report or analysis and simper and gasp and declaim. This hasn’t happened on TV yet but it sure does on dzmmTeleradyo. 

And most of all, if you are going to interview experts on the wages of infidelity and the fallout from betrayals of relationships, can you ask serious questions AND LISTEN, instead of interrupting these experts to insert plot turns every minute?  

 

The cast of ‘The Legal Wife’. From left, Angel Locsin, Jericho Rosales and Maja Salvador

It’s such a pity because there are important things one could share with women who’re wondering whether to bolt  and face financial uncertainties, or those folk who really feel they’re at the end of the road and just want to make things bearable for other family members. (Blogger Ana Santos gives great tips.)

God knows the main audience of ABS-CBN’s teleseryes are people who would really benefit from an exchange of knowledge and a sober discussion of an issue that can sometimes end up as a tabloid crime report. 

A friend and motivational speaker, Richard Brundage, once explained the allure of tragedy. It taps deep into our survival urge. We are horrified but can’t look away because these terrible events trigger alarm bells in the mind. We look because we want to get some lessons — why things happen, what we should do when these happen to us. We don’t always get the right lessons but we sure don’t stop trying because it’s a way to wrest some control over life’s chaos.

The breakdown of families is no laughing matter in this country without divorce. A 2013 report quotes the Office of the Solicitor General as saying that annulment cases doubled in the last decade. That doesn’t even include people who decide to separate sans legal niceties.

There’s a lot of lessons to plumb in tales of marital infidelity. I don’t think awkward themes should be kept out of popular media. But if we’re going to milk profits from these productions, let’s ensure we leave the audience with something more than anger or self-pity. At the least, let’s gift women — and men — seeking to move on with the tools they’ll need in cleaning up the mess.

 

May 9, 2014May 9, 2014 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: children, culture, Essays, Media, media criticism, Reviews, Uncategorized, WomenTags: abs-cbn, Angel Locsin, breakdown of marriage, dzmmTeleradyo, how to interview, Jerricho Rosales, Maja Salvador, marital infidelity, separation of spouses, The Legal Wife Leave a comment

Journalists explain need for covenant against media corruption

For the first time since its founding almost a decade ago, MediaNation, a network that holds regular dialogues to address pressing industry issues, has signed a covenant against media corruption.

The network sees the May 2013 elections as an opportunity to engage media stakeholders and their publics in repairing “the great damage” corruption has done to Philippines society. It invited individual politicians and representatives of political parties and party-list groups for the initial signing rites at the Edsa Shangri-la Hotel. Among the news organizations represented were ABS-CBN, GMA, TV5, the Inquirer Group, Rappler and Newsbreak, BusinessWorld and the Center for Community Journalism and Development.

Former senators Jun Magsaysay, and Ernesto Maceda, Rep. Mike Romero of the LDP, Rep. Mel Sarmiento of the Liberal Party, representatives for Rep. Mark Villar of the Nacionalista Party and Rep. Jack Enrile, and Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino represented political groups.

“We recognize that there are political candidates and media practitioners who uphold the highest ethical standards, but we also realize the problem is real,” the covenant states.

Owners included

The signatories from both sides pledged “not to tolerate the practice of ‘envelopmental’ journalism, whether payment for media favors or soliciting the same.

The media framers of the covenant covered “journalists and other media practitioners and their principals,” since the sale of “news packages” is often initiated by owners of news companies.

Casino stressed that corruption isn’t limited to individual journalists. An activist, Casino said is used to “free publicity.”

But, “rules have suddenly changed. Kandidato ka na. May bayad ka na. And this is company policy, not some lone corrupt journalist.”

The signatories pledged to report instances of corruption in the media on both sides.  The covenant clearly excludes “legitimate advertising.”

Political and media signatories agreed on the need to protect those who report corruption in media. But they also stressed the need for formal complaints and submission of evidence.

“This Covenant is just a single step in the larger process to root out corruption, itself a complex problem. But solutions begin with the acknowledgement and discussion of the problem,” the covenant notes.

Public’s role

MediaNation participants also plan to launch a website documenting corruption in the industry. Representatives from different news organizations will be meeting to discuss the mechanics of reporting and feedback.

The network wants the public to join the campaign.

ABS-CBN integrated news head, Ging Reyes, said journalists “would need each other’s support, as well as the help of the public in ensuring that we hold ourselves accountable and that we remain true to our word.”

Howie Severino of GMA said civic society is already assertive and pockets of critics can be found on social media networks.

“We may not always agree with them,” Severino said, “but criticism is welcome.”

Businessworld Publisher and Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility leader, Vergel Santos, said media groups would ensure that the anti-corruption website would be managed with professional journalism standards.

Politicians responded favorably to the covenant.

“It’s a step in the right direction. It may not immediately lead to a solution, but it’s a right step,” Romero said. “The word ‘envelopmental’ covers everything.”

Magsaysay said media should address the problem of corruption not only during elections, “but also consistently”. He called corruption “a social cancer” eating away at the fabric of the nation.

No guarantees

Sarmiento said the LP would cascade the covenant down to towns and cities next week. While representatives of the political parties could not guarantee cooperation of all their members, Sarmiento said any formal report alleging attempts to bribe media would be investigated by the party.

Bart Guingona, convenor of Media Nation said the network intends to expand its anti-corruption campaign to other practices other than actual exchange of money. Rappler’s Maria Ressa said the crucial first step was to make it easier for those who want to be clean.

The move has its critics. Former publisher and congressman Teddy Boy Locsin pointed out the covenant left out other forms of corruption, including biased reportage and turning a blind eye to the wrongdoings of friends of journalists and their employers.

Other critics called the campaign self-righteous. But Severino said the goal is a society where honesty is the norm instead of a rarity, a day when displays of honesty among journalists, or taxi drivers or politicians are no longer considered news. #30

January 23, 2013January 23, 2013 by Inday Espina-Varona Categories: culture, Media, media criticismTags: abs-cbn, bart guingona, bayan muna, ging reyes, gma, howie severino, maria ressa, media corruption, Media Nation, rappler, Teddy Casino 2 Comments