Citizen reporters: Working with traditional journalists in supporting roles

Citizen journalism has a long long way to go in terms of building credibility and trust. I, for one, am not a great fan of citizen journalism, in the sense that I would not rely on citizen journalists for information although I would probably use the information they provide to complement a story or report, but not before verifying it of course.
I do not discount however, the significant contribution that citizen journalists have done in terms of giving a whole new meaning and perpsective to news reporting. Thanks to citizen journalists, the entire world, virtually witnessed the unfolding of major events through ordinary people who sent digital camera or camera phone-shot photos of tsunami, London bombings and the like to news organisations and narrated through the net, actual experiences, giving more color to a story.
However, serious journalism does not end there. More than storytelling, it must be able to truthfully report and make sense of all available and sometimes confusing information, to help educate and aid the public in their decision making process.
I think the ideal citizen journalist only exists in some bloggers' views.
In fact, many have predicted the print media’s demise with the advent of the Internet, but I am convinced that the newspaper’s essential values, such as adherence to truth, accuracy and fairness, will keep them ahead of the race.
Citizen journalism will not replace traditional journalism but I think it would be effective in playing a supporting or complementary role. I think, traditional and citizen journalists will have to coexist. More than coexist, they should look at each other as allies and not rivals.

Story 1 radio format

(VO Karen)
The House of Representatives last night removed a major obstacle to planned Constitutional amendments.
In a marathon session, congressmen loyal to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo voted 164-25 to change the rules to allow them to proceed with Charter change even without the participation of the Senate.
Their stated goal is to shift to a parliamentary form of government with a prime minister at the helm.
In reaction, senators crossed party lines and immediately vowed to challenge the move before the Supreme Court.
According to pro-administration Senator Richard Gordon...
(play taped audio interview)
"I think the whole nation is chagrined at the brazenness in the manner that they try to railroad and cheat their own rules."
"If they really want to amend the constitution, if they really respect the constitution, they should allow for adequate discussion."
(VO Karen)
President Arroyo says she wants to switch to a parliamentary form of government to speed up policy-making and facilitate stronger economic growth.
This plan is opposed by leaders of the church, business, civil society, and the academe like UP political science professor Benito Lim who is wary lawmakers’ motives...
(play taped interview)
"It is a desperate attempt on the part of congressmen for they already anticipate that they do not have a chance of winning in next year's elections."
(VO Karen)
Administration lawmakers are unfazed, however, with House Speaker Jose de Venecia expressing his confidence this morning that Congress would be convened into a Constituent Assembly to amend the Constitution by next week.
This is Karen Lema reporting...
(END)

Story 2 - Philippine lower house pushes new political system

The Philippine lower house of Congress has set itself on a collision course with the upper chamber by voting to exclude senators from plans to shift to parliamentary form of government.
In a marathon session that lasted until just before dawn on Wednesday, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's allies in the lower house voted 164-25 to delete a provision in its rules that requires the Senate to concur on all proposed laws.
Senators, who are largely opposed to changing the political system from a U.S.-style bicameral Congress because their chamber would be abolished, said they would challenge the unilateral attempt to alter the constitution.
"I think the whole nation is chagrined at the brazenness in the manner that they try to railroad and cheat their own rules," Senator Richard Gordon said on television.
"If they really want to amend the constitution, if they really respect the constitution, they should allow for adequate discussion."
Another recent attempt to amend the constitution was derailed in late November when the Supreme Court ruled against a petition to hold a referendum of voters on the issue.
Arroyo has championed the switch to a parliamentary system to end gridlock between the legislative and executive branches of government and between the two houses of Congress, with the hopes of faster policy-making and stronger economic growth.
With congressional and local elections due in May, critics accuse Arroyo and her allies of trying to use the proposed change to extend their terms in office and get rid of the Senate, which is weighted in favour of the president's foes.
Arroyo, who has survived two impeachment attempts and at least one attempted coup, is due to finish her term in 2010.
"It is a desperate attempt on the part of congressmen for they already anticipate that they do not have a chance of winning in next year's elections," said Benito Lim, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines.
"The coming elections are crucial to President Arroyo and the majority in Congress because if the opposition wins it could mean that Arroyo could be impeached."
Most Filipinos want more political stability after decades of coup attempts and two "people power" uprisings, but many analysts doubt a parliamentary system would solve fundamental problems of corruption and a society dominated by elite clans.
Under the plan, the president and a newly created prime minister would share power for three years. After 2010, the prime minister would become head of a British-style parliament. (The article came out on the wires December 6)

Story 1 - Manila sees 2006 growth goals intact despite typhoon

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said on Thursday that economic growth projections for 2006 would be met despite damage to crops, infrastructure and property from Typhoon Durian last week.
The typhoon, which ravaged wide areas in the country, killed 570 people and 746 remained missing when torrential rains loosened tonnes of mud and boulders on the slopes of Mayon volcano and buried villages.
"We expect our growth projections to be met," Arroyo told a business conference.
Durian, the fourth typhoon to hit the Philippines in three months affected more than 1.6 million people, nearly 250,000 houses were damaged while agriculture and infrastructure damage was estimated at 1.27 billion pesos ($25.6 million), the National Disaster Coordinating Council said.
The Southeast Asian country aims for gross domestic product growth 5.5-6.1 percent this year from last year compared with actual growth of 5.0 percent in 2005 and 6.2 percent in 2004.
Last month, the government said that the economy's performance fell far short of expectations in the third quarter, growing from the second quarter at its weakest pace in five years as typhoon damage to crops and a slowdown in manufacturing took a toll.
GDP rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent in the third quarter, below the median forecast in a Reuters poll of 1.1 percent and slowing from 1.7 percent in the second quarter.
It was the weakest quarter-on-quarter showing since growth of 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2001.
The Philippine economy, driven by exports of electronics and farm goods and overseas remittances fuelling domestic demand, needs to grow at least 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter from a year ago to hit the low end of the government's 2006 goal.
The head of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines (SEIPI) association told Reuters earlier on Thursday it expected exports to grow by 10 percent next year, in line with this year's growth forecast.
The country supplies about 10 percent of the world's semiconductor manufacturing services, including mobile phone chips and microprocessors, and electronic products account for nearly two thirds of national exports.
Typhoon Xangsane battered large areas devoted to rice and coconuts on the main island of Luzon in late September, braking annual farm sector growth to 4.87 percent in the third quarter from 6.41 percent growth in the second quarter. (The article came out on the wires on December 7)

On Radio

To Bruce: I could not agree more with what you just said. While I fimly believe in the strength of the print medium, it pales in comparison to radio's reach especially in a country like the Philippines.

True, radio has the widest audience reach because it ranks first in terms of accessibility. Like you said, radio is still the cheapest form of media and if I may add the friendliest. You can actually read the paper, eat, watch television while listening to the radio.

Many Filipnos, still rely on the radio for information and entertainment. If everything is no longer working, people can always rely on the radio for it is not only handy but it can also run on batteries.

This communication tool has figured prominently in the country's history and a perfect example of which would be the Radio Veritas, the only-non-government controlled radio station during Martial Law, and which was used by freedom fighters to air their cause and convince millions of Filipinos to march to Edsa to topple a dictator.

old versus new media

I believe that print is the best form of media in terms of providing analysis, insight and in depth reporting. This is not to say however that print media is the end all and be all of news reporting because it also has a number of shortcomings. One of which is speed. With the birth of 24-hour cable news channels, it is becoming more and more difficult for newspapers to compete. They need not only watch out for top papers that come out daily but also dozens of 24-hour news providers as well.
Nowadays, people need not wait for the next day to find out what happened the previous day because news is readily available 24/7 and they flow at the click of the mouse.
Another notable weakness of the print media is its inability to “connect” with readers. Unlike the traditional print media which tend to lecture its audience, the new media – online and mobile - has become places for conversation and destinations where bloggers and podcasters meet to engage reporters and editors in more extended discussions.
Producing online content is also cheaper than printing content on paper.
But I believe that the ever changing landscape of reporting could also work to the advantage of print media
With so much information available within and outside the Net even on TV, the newspapers’ role for instance, becomes more significant as they are probably the only available medium that can provide, like I said, in depth reporting and insightful analyses if they choose to.
Truth, accuracy, fairness and reliability will continue to be the edge of newspapers, because the electronic world, given that it moves so quickly, will likely have a hard time maintaining these unique and essential values.