“A good newspaper is never nearly good enough. But a lousy newspaper is a joy forever,” an old wisecrack goes. It resonated in the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) conference: “Watching the Watchdog: Re-examining Ourselves.”
Congratulations, Inquirer! The front-page special report on Charls Bryan Katipunan (“Tale of poor cabbie’s son moves principal to action,” Inquirer, 6/5/13) is truly inspiring and is a clear testimony that one can excel even amid adversity and poverty.
Jeers to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) for flagrantly misrepresenting a Philippine Daily Inquirer editorial, and substituting lazy memory for careful research.
Raul S. Gonzalez, whose recent death the Inquirer reported (5/18/13), was truly an outstanding man of letters. He was a writer, editor, educator, public relations man, and mentor to many now-accomplished writers.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines joins all workers in the fight for jobs, decent wages and democratic rights. We especially salute and express solidarity with all media workers who remain dedicated to and passionate about their work, despite the lack of job security, the meager wages, the absence of benefits and the [...]
We write to bring attention to the unfair and erroneous slant which the Inquirer gave our press statement in the news report titled “NDF Anniversary: Bayan Muna clears NPA: No extortion, it’s civil war” (Page 1, Inquirer, 4/24/13), which also appeared in the Inquirer’s online version (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/396177/bayan-defends-npa-says-ambush-not-case-of-extortion).
Late last year, Newsweek printed its last physical issue. Its issues are now all-digital, made specifically for tablets and phones for easy access.
The last column in the Inquirer of the former Supreme Court Justice Isagani Cruz, who passed away last March 21, was titled “Amanda” (Opinion, 2/17/08). [The last column of Justice Cruz was run on June 13, 2010, and titled “Reminiscences.”—ED.] It was a poignantly written piece, “mixing memory and desire,” as noted English poet T.S. Eliot wrote.
During an interview of Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon by Inquirer editors, columnists, and reporters at the Inquirer offices the other week, there was talk of fake journalists, derisively called “hao shiaos,” acting as fixers at the Bureau of Customs. It was suggested that the number of “reporters” covering Customs be limited only to the legitimate [...]
Several media outlets came up with a headline trumpeting that President Aquino’s controversial sister Kris was last year’s top taxpayer. Clearly, with an Aquino-controlled media, this news report comes as a deodorizer for this administration’s problems in tax collection, smuggling and corruption. Half-way through his administration, President Aquino finds himself unable to keep his campaign promise of eradicating corruption, especially in the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs; he is oblivious to the fact that his own trusted officials are the very source of the problem.
I write this in connection with: first, a column by Ramon Tulfo (“A grave injustice, INQUIRER.net, 3/15/13), which was also published in the Inquirer’s March 16 print edition; and second, another Tulfo column which appeared in the April 2 edition of the Inquirer’s sister publication Bandera.
The Boston bombings didn’t just explode on the runners and spectators, they exploded on the media. Among them CNN.
