Thank God it’s not Balita

At the lobby of a hospital a huge sign in bold reads:
“All procedures performed at this hospital are of the staff only. This hospital and its owners are not liable for any error or death that would happen as a result of any procedure done by our staff in this hospital. Whatever our staff do, doctors included, is their own responsibility and the owners of this hospital are thus freed from any liability”.
Would you really go and have your appendectomy done here?
On the menu card of a restaurant is a warning: The owner of this restaurant does not endorse what the cook prepares. What he and the staff of this restaurant do are their responsibility. The owner does not know what they are doing.
Would you really dine in that restaurant?
Thank God there’s no such hospital. Thank even God more that no such restaurant exists. Having such establishmens would be bizarre if not ridiculous for which hospital would not vouch for the competence of their doctors and other medical staff? Expectedly, a restaurateur would always excitedly boasts of the cook’s culinary expertise!
But in the GTA there’s a Filipino-Canadian tabloid that similarly warns its readers.
Very conspicuously and prominently printed in bold the readers are pointedly cautioned that the editor in chief, the publisher and the publication as a whole have nothing to do with what is contained in the paper. It says that opinions expressed are by the writers’ alone and that the paper does not agree with such.
This as if there’s any opinion put forward at all. But that’s another story.
Disclaimers are used by radio companies to protect themselves against potential damage that could be caused by what the industry calls blocktimers. In the Philippines, it is common to have radio commentators buy time slots from a media company either for business or to advance their patron’s political agenda, mostly the latter.
Several Filipino broadcasters in the GTA are of this variety. Usually these blocktimers pay from 300 to 400 dollars per 30 minutes of broadcast time. They get compensated out of the advertising revenues they gather from sponsors. They get their fame on the air — so they think.
In the Philippines, most of these people are paid hacks and do not work for any media entity. These are a hard hitting bunch of mercenaries and as such their loyalty are to those who pay them not to the truth as journalists should. They do public relations jobs for their patrons and torpedo opponents of the master. As such journalistic integrity of these people are often put into question.
Under such circumstances it is then fair for radio stations to distance themselves from these radio blocktimers out of fear from unwarranted libel suits but most of all to absolve themselves from what could be irresponsible journalism.
But for a community paper whose staff are supposedly volunteers? That’s one question the other is as put forth by a reader who asked my opinion about this, “ano pala ang ginagawa ng editor nila?” But not only that isn’t it that putting such disclaimers negates the very essence of publishing?
When writers write they perform their duties to fulfill a role of informing the public of things that they are entitled to know. Things that affect their decisions in their daily lives. The public has the right to know the truth and it is the media’s responsibility to bring them closer to the truth. A paper that negates this to both writer and reader negates the existence of responsibility and right.
Sad to say it thrives, advertisers support it but I wonder whether readers would continue reading it. You want to know which paper this is? Pick any paper and look for the disclaimer in the first few pages and read — it is your responsibility. Clue: it is not Balita.
My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved left behind by colleague in the PPCO Janet Evangelista. In June 2010 Janet emailed me expressing desire to join the PPCO being the editor of Planet Philippines. With open arms Janet was embraced by PPCO. She appeared always composed, serene, no fuss and quiet.
Janet left this world as if in a hush. One night, we were told, she died in her sleep. Good bye Janet you are now in a better world in peace and tranquility, qualities I have observed in you.