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[av_heading heading=’INTERNATIONAL ILONGGO ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY JED JALECO DEL ROSARIO
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January 28, 2018
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The media and foreign interests
RAPPLER – a mouthpiece for foreign interests or a persecuted media company?
For Rappler and its supporters, the media company is being persecuted because of its opposition to the Duterte administration. On the other hand, Rappler’s accusers claim the online news site’s problems are the result of its foreign ties and irresponsible journalism.
For those who haven’t kept up with the story, Rappler is being accused of violating a clause in the Constitution that limits media ownership to Filipinos. This issue centers around the media company’s ties to US investors, namely North Base Media and the Omidyar Network.
According to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the amount of capital invested in Rappler by these two groups indicate that it is controlled by foreign interests, and therefore, a (theoretical) liability to the country.
Now, let’s assume for the moment that there are no hidden issues or unseen agendas involved in this debacle, Rappler’s financial statement do seems to indicate it has ties with US-based investors, and that is a cause for concern.
Why? Because the media shape and frame society’s public discourse, and if foreign interests are influencing your media then it means foreign interests are involved in shaping and framing public discourse.
Even if Rappler’s investors do not influence the actual articles and news reports that the online news site puts out, there is no guarantee they will not do so in the future. Remember, money talks. This is why the Constitution limits foreign ownership of Filipino news media outlets. We don’t want foreigners influencing our national discourse.
There is also no such thing as unbiased media. Journalists have their politics, just like everyone else, and this is also true for people who pay their salaries. This is true for the fine people working at Rappler and it’s also true for people who produce the newspaper you’re currently reading.
It’s certainly true for me.
Whenever you’re reading an article or watching a news report, always remember that the news being offered is never 100 percent neutral. The best that we can hope to expect from journalists is to be truthful, that is to say to try to tell what they believe to be the truth, and to argue in good faith.
However, journalists aren’t the only ones who create news and content. Even the work of the most truthful journalists is filtered by their editors, or the news organizations they work for.
Now, consider a news organization that is partly or fully controlled by foreign interests. Even if the foreign stakeholders don’t exert any administrative control, they would still be able to influence the ones who do.
The controversy surrounding Rappler is nothing new. It has been anticipated long ago, and it will continue to be an issue as long as mass media exists. (jdr456@gmail.com/PN)
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