The senator’s attack is an attempt to undermine the public’s trust in the media amid the coverage of the continuing chaos in the Senate.
CAGAYAN DE ORO — Several media groups condemned Sen. Rodante Marcoleta for accusing journalists of being “paid hacks” during a committee hearing on June 4.
In a joint statement, journalists and media workers covering the Senate said that Marcoleta unfairly maligned those who face harassment and intimidation, not to mention risk their lives to inform the public and hold those in power accountable.
“At a time when disinformation and political polarization continue to undermine public discourse, government officials should exercise greater restraint and responsibility in their pronouncements,” they said.
Marcoleta called out members of the media with a side comment saying that “most of them are paid hacks,” asking if they were able to ask senators belonging to the minority bloc as to why they were silent on the issue of the flood control scandal.
Read: Groups urge Senate ethics probe after Marcoleta admits lying in SOCE
Journalists and media workers covering the Senate reminded the legislator about their role to serve the public interest. They stressed that they should not be dragged into any political rivalries and feuds.
Both the Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines (PCP) and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said that criticism of the media, especially if based on facts, should be welcomed as part of public discourse.
However, PCP said that public officials who make allegations against members of the press should present evidence and not rely on “broad and inflammatory claims” that could put the profession in a bad light.
The photojournalists’ group said, “If he possesses evidence of wrongdoing, he should present it before the appropriate bodies and allow due process to take its course.”
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said that the senator’s attack is an attempt to undermine the public’s trust in the media amid the coverage of the continuing chaos in the Senate.
“Journalists ferret out the truth and convey it to the public. This includes asking questions of whoever needs to be held accountable,” the group said in a statement. “Our colleagues in the Senate have been doing exactly what they ought to do.”
Read: Senate chaos compromises truth, accountability, justice
In a press conference on Thursday, Marcoleta apologized to the media. However, he defended his remark and said that it was out of frustration, recalling an instance as an example where he spoke at an Iglesia ni Cristo rally but he was not mentioned in news reports.
During the same Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Thursday, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano also reviewed the front pages of major dailies in front of invited guests, questioning why there were no reports, aside from the Philippine Star, that stated “Cayetano is still the Senate President.”
NUJP stressed that “journalism’s loyalty is to the people, not to any partisan group with vested interests.” (DAA)
Disclosure: Bulatlat’s editor-in-chief, Ronalyn Olea, is the secretary-general of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
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