Infodemic and Bayanihan: An Essay on the Philippine Media’s Coverage on the Pandemic
Note: This was a paper submitted last April 20, 2021 as part of our preliminary requirement for Media Ethics course.
A year has passed since the first community quarantine was imposed in the Philippines due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected about 220 countries and has caused about 3 million deaths in the world. (WHO, 2021) The media industry is not an exemption, in fact, but a direct witness to how this global health emergency brought down several industries, including itself. In the beginning, journalists were forced to transition into covering the pandemic and world itself from the comfort of their own homes, while others are forced to expose themselves to the high probability and risk of getting infected by the coronavirus.
For us to assess the Philippine media’s coverage of the pandemic, (1) we must contextualize the journalists’ role by looking at the initial experience they firsthand witnessed during the start of the lockdown. First, some of the well-known journalists such as Howie Severino, a COVID-19 survivor himself, insisted that the media must “give out a complete picture that includes the negatives and positives.” Internews reporter Cora Llamas (2020) insisted that journalists are at risk of compromising their well-being in “creating a balance between objectivity and empathy.”
Besides striking the balance and surviving the virus, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has further restricted press freedom. The Philippine cybercrime law has charged multiple individuals across the country, curtailing the freedom of expression of lives who are simply derailed by the effects of the pandemic, which according to PCIJ (2020), “such intolerance has been accepted by a public in a state of panic” due to fear of criticizing or going against the government’s orders.
Most of all, the ABS-CBN franchise was a big blow not only to the media industry but to all those who were affected, alongside the pandemic, by the typhoons and other natural disasters that inflicted damage in some parts of the country these past few months. Losing about 11,000 employees was not just the problem: having no local stations to rely on for updates to prepare for natural disasters is another “disaster.” What boggles the industry is that there have been 15 other stations that allegedly remain on the air despite expired franchises years ago. (ABS-CBN News, 2020)
Another problematic aspect of this pandemic-driven coverage is the diminished experience with newbies who just entered the media industry and for those who are still studying the course. All professions require extensive training; however, the lack of face-to-face learning and experience has kept a great number of students and young professionals from complete exposure to what it means and how to think like a journalist. The journalist covers stories and when the world is facing a dearth of men and women making history which directly affects the industry and the people themselves.
Alongside, the pandemic is not just a health problem — the poor mental well-being makes it impossible for persons to think straight which is crucial to critical thinking. Bernadas and Ilagan (2020) mentioned that The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines pointed out the limited mental health support for journalists by saying that ‘there are hardly any readily available and sustained support systems.” One cannot be disgruntled with the moral and so-called “divine” codes of ethical journalism especially now when COVID-19 cases are spiking, wherein you hear of relatives and friends dying right and left.
Rappler correspondent Camille Elemia (2020) reported on a global survey organized by The International Center for Journalists and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University which aimed to determine the global crisis’s impact on journalists. 46% highlighted the lack of trust in governments and one-third do not find their government sources and reports on the pandemic reliable. The survey also revealed that during the first wave of the pandemic, 30% pointed out that media organizations themselves failed to supply personal protective equipments for their reporters and 81% said that they encounter disinformation more in one week. Unfortunately, media practitioners themselves fall for the very truth they were entrusted with.
(2) We still owe it to our fellow Filipino journalists for learning and growing to be more innovative, resourceful, and creative in trying to fight against the year-long “infodemic.” (Pago, 2020) The Center for Media and Responsibility (CMFR) pointed out from the very start that “why [is there a need to] add to the difficulties? Media should join forces, consolidate their efforts to verify and call out mis- or dis-information, get behind the stories, investigate as necessary the misuse of funds and resources.” (CMFR, 2020) It has been an opportune time for journalists to review and re-evaluate their personal and communal codes of conduct and ethics as persons and journalists.
(3) Filipino journalists must take to heart the call to “bayanihan” as shown, for example, in the efforts of setting up “community pantries” in many parts of the country. (Suson, 2021) Not only is this a reminder for journalists to always give good examples through virtuous conduct, but even to utilize their ability to spread the prevalence of good, found in the reportage of the truth. Media practitioners must strike the balance between the negative and positive outcomes of the pandemic, because there are, indeed, good outcomes.
In the case of journalists, we experienced and gained more strength to fight against misinformation and cherish the value of munching data even if it may only be through virtual press conferences or interviews. It all goes back to taking the code of ethics into heart and reminding ourselves that our concern is to play our part in this pandemic as our service. Abano (2020) suggests that we always try to use clear and precise language and data to prevent panic especially in utilizing social media to amplify the truth.
References:
Abano, I. (2020, June 30). Reporting the unknown: How reporters in the Philippines cover COVID-19. Earth Journalism Network. https://earthjournalism.net/stories/reporting-the-unknown-how-reporters-in-the-philippines-cover-covid-19
Bernadas, J. M., & Ilagan, K. (2020). Journalism, public health, and COVID-19: Some preliminary insights from the Philippines. Media International Australia, 177(1), 132–138. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878x20953854
CMFR. (2020, March 27). Call for media solidarity on COVID. https://cmfr-phil.org/editorial/call-for-media-solidarity-on-covid/
Llamas, C. (2020, August 12). The critical role that Philippine media play in covering COVID-19. Internews. https://internews.org/news/critical-role-philippine-media-play-covering-covid-19
Pago, A. (2020, May 6). Journalists struggle to cover the pandemic as space for media freedom shrinks. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. https://pcij.org/article/4046/journalists-struggle-to-cover-the-pandemic-as-space-for-media-freedom-shrinks
PCIJ. (2020, April 4). Press freedom further restricted amid COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.pcij.org/article/4009/state-of-media-freedom-in-ph-2
WHO. (n.d.). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Articles:
ABS-CBN News. (2020, July 1). 15 media outlets on air despite expired franchise, says lawmaker. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/01/20/15-media-outlets-on-air-despite-expired-franchise-says-lawmaker
Elemia, C. (2020, October 15). From burnout to disinformation: Journalists face alarming challenges during COVID-19. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/world/global-affairs/journalists-face-alarming-challenges-coronavirus-pandemic
Suson, D. M. (2021, April 19). Community pantries sprouting all over. INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1420782/community-pantries-sprouting-all-over
