Tag Archives: ethics

8 important points on PCOO accreditation of bloggers and social media users

N.B. – A campus journalist emailed a few questions on the decision of the PCOO to accredit bloggers and social media users so that they could also cover official events. Below are my answers, along with what I think is a bonus question worth answering. If you understand the Filipino language, you may be interested to watch me being interviewed on TV about the issue.

What was your initial reaction to this interim policy? Did you think it was a progressive step on the part of PCOO or not?

Based on the draft social media guidelines released by Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) a few months ago, I was expecting that the PCOO would brush up on the principles of journalism, blogging and social media and learn from the current blogosphere and social media landscape. This obviously did not happen. While there is nothing wrong with being inclusive by accommodating bloggers and social media users to cover official events, there is nothing progressive about PCOO DO No. 15 as it allows any Net-savvy individual, especially a troll, to enter Malacañan Palace. Lowering the standards (Filipino, at least 18 years old, at least 5,000 socmed followers) is misplaced populism.

Do you think there is a need for this policy? Are the efforts and coverage of professional and accredited media practitioners not enough?

In theory, accreditation of bloggers and social media users should be a recognition of citizen journalism. That was the case in 2005 when the first blogger was given accreditation at the White House. At that time, the US journalists were the ones who pushed for the inclusion of this blogger given his track record, especially publications. The work of the dominant news media organizations is never enough as there will always be both strengths and weaknesses in coverage of issues, but the bloggers and social media users could help expand the reach and perhaps engage in fact-checking the news media organizations. Such a challenge cannot happen if the ones accredited do not know anything about objective coverage and raising the level of discourse.

What problems, do you think, could arise from this order?

Given the lower standards, there will be logistical nightmare for PCOO. It is possible for the more competent ones to be in the company of trolls and incompetent, free-loading individuals who see coverage of official events as an excuse to take selfies and take home lootbags or give-aways.

What can you say about some people’s opinion that this will only authorize the proliferation of propaganda?

At present, that is the case with the White House which seems to accommodate more a blogger that is conservative and a Trump supporter. This could be a possibility even if ASec Ablan mentioned that even those critical of the administration may be able to cover, as long as they meet the requirements. In the Duterte administration, it appears that public information is synonymous with black propaganda which should not be the case.

Do you think there’s a possibility that truth and neutrality might be compromised?

Truth-telling is already compromised with the proliferation of fake news. Whether or not DO No. 15 will make it worse remains to be seen. Neutrality is a myth in journalism, based on normative standards articulated by scholars like McQuail.

Considering that the Social Media Office will be reviewing the applications, and that it is headed by Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson who is known for her strong opposition of those critical of the president, do you there’s a possibility that there will be bias on the kind of blog and social media account that will be accredited?

It is hard to speculate at this point. But it’s imperative for ASec Uson to brush up on the fundamentals of journalism, blogging and social media.

Anyone who is 18 years of age and has a minimum of 5,000 followers on their blog or social media account is qualified to apply for accreditation. Do you think these qualifications are sufficient considering presidential events have to be one of the highest-revered events in the country?

Definitely not. What’s necessary is to review publications record and other relevant metrics like Google Analytics, Alexa ranking, or even Klout score. The vetting process should ensure that the blogger or social media user is able to write and research well. We can only know this if we review his or her recent publications and other works.

BONUS QUESTION: Aren’t journalists imposing on bloggers and social media users by using normative standards to assess outputs?

It’s not an issue of imposition but a suggestion of what the standards should be. We should stress journalism ethics is recognized as among the oldest and most established in the field of communication and media ethics. This explains why in 2003, the Blogger’s Code of Ethics prepared by Cyberjournalist.net is based on the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Code of Ethics. In the Philippines where the orientation of media practice is skewed toward self-regulation, adherence to ethical standards is voluntary. So this is not an issue of imposition but voluntary compliance based on the recognition of one’s role in the shaping of public opinion.

Perhaps my old paper on blogging and journalism in the Philippines may be interesting to you.