N.B. – This was published in Asian Correspondent (May 3, 2:45 p.m.) where I write a weekly column (Philippine Fantasy).

The national and local elections in the Philippines are expected to take place on May 10, or exactly one week from now. While the campaign officially started last February 9 (national) and March 26 (local), many Filipinos are under the impression that it started much earlier when political advertisements packaged as infomercials, along with commercials where politicians served as endorsers, started to be shown on television.

Given the duty of journalists to help shape public opinion by providing relevant information, the media are expected to help voters make informed decisions. On May 10, it is important for media to engage in the following kinds of coverage to make their reports more relevant:

1. Breaking news
2. Social commentary
3. Media monitoring
4. Fact-checking

Many media organizations have been doing breaking news and social commentaries since the start of the campaign. They have, in fact, tried their very best to focus on social issues mainly through live debates and public affairs programs focusing on the elections.

What is lacking at present is a mechanism for constructive reflection which could be done through media monitoring. It basically encourages a media organization to analyze how its competitors report on an issue and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their coverage. Media monitoring could also be in the form of a media organization’s public review of its own coverage, perhaps on its own initiative or based on feedback from its audience. In other words, media monitoring could be an opportunity for a media organization’s criticism and self-criticism, a process that makes it more accountable and transparent to its audience. If media monitoring were done professionally, the people could benefit as they are made aware of the limits of media coverage and are consequently empowered to know what to look for in other election-related reports.

Fact-checking, on the other hand, seeks to scrutinize all pronouncements made by candidates and their political parties. Is it true, for example, that a particular candidate authored hundreds of bills during his or her incumbency in Congress? Is there empirical evidence to prove the thousands of kilometers of roads that a candidate claims in his or her political advertisement? These are practical questions that media should provide their audience because the latter cannot afford to just simply take a politician’s word as claimed in his or her political advertisement or any form of well-prepared public pronouncement. While it is true that fact-checking entails much research and takes a lot of time, the Filipino voters deserve nothing less and badly needs such information.

As stated, the role of journalism is to provide relevant information to help shape public opinion. In the context of the May 10 elections, the media are expected to do the following:

1. To help voters make informed decisions based on platforms, not personalities;
2. To encourage registered voters to exercise their right on May 10; and
3. To analyze opportunities and limits of elections in achieving social change.

There are currently weaknesses as media tend to report on black propaganda and quote statements from candidates and other personalities even if the information provided are unreliable. But it is not yet too late for the media organizations to help in people empowerment through effective election coverage.

The elections, after all, are still seven days away and, just like the unpredictability of the election results, the shaping of public opinion could still go either way.