N.B. – This was published in Asian Correspondent (April 26, 4:45 p.m.) where I write a weekly column (Philippine Fantasy).

When I wrote about elections, media and black propaganda a few days ago, I was referring to many journalistic outputs published or aired during the election campaign that use dubious information.

For example, the April 24 column article of Carmen Pedrosa in The Philippine Star presents in the first paragraph a statement of fact: “[The late ex-senator] Ninoy [Aquino] himself sought psychiatric help for [his son, presidential candidate] Noynoy [Aquino].” The succeeding paragraphs, however, show that this assertion is based merely on hearsay. What proves to be worse is that Pedrosa did not name her source of information and merely vouched for her source’s credibility. Pedrosa writes, “My source is apolitical but she was moved by her responsibility to her country. She decided to do her part to stop the prevarication of others who also knew. The stories about Noynoy’s mental illness are not ‘concoctions’ she said.”

Pedrosa decided to write her column article based on what a female source told her, which in turn she got from unnamed sources. Using Pedrosa’s exact words: “[Her source] is recalling a story told to her and a circle of friends in Boston [where Noynoy Aquino stayed as a young boy].”

In the context of journalism ethics, the columnist violates two important principles: (1) The failure to verify information given to her; and (2) the use of anonymous sources without proper explanation.

Pedrosa apparently took her source’s information at face value without independent verification from others who may know about the issue. Even Noynoy Aquino or any representative from the Liberal Party was not contacted by the columnist to comment on his mental health. While it is expected that Noynoy and his party will deny the accusation and dismiss it as mere “black propaganda,” the media audience still deserves to know the other side, no matter how predictable the statement may be.

As regards the use of anonymous sources, journalists are obligated, as a general rule, to properly identify their sources of information. The only time anonymity is granted is when the revelation of information would endanger the life of a source and that there is absolutely no other way that a journalist can get the information from other identifiable sources. In the case of Pedrosa, there was no clear explanation for granting anonymity to her source.

Of course, the fundamental issue at this point is whether or not journalists should report on issues based on rumors or unverified information. Journalists cannot use as a convenient excuse the people’s right to know. Their task of information dissemination should be done in the context of shaping public opinion. In relation to the upcoming elections, journalists are mandated to provide only the relevant information that can help the voters in choosing the best candidates and in looking at the elections not as the panacea to problems besetting society.

If there is one element that election-related reports should have, it is the proper framing of the elections as a mere mechanism for choosing the next leaders of the country.

For those who want structural change, the struggle remains elsewhere and would depend on what change they want and who would end up benefiting from it. Much as the presidential election is significant, what proves to be equally important is the election of those will sit in the House of Representatives (HOR) because President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is seeking election as the representative of the second district of Pampanga, her hometown. This move is said to be related to her plan to seek the speakership of the HOR so that she could be installed as Prime Minister if her other related plan — changing the 1987 Constitution to have a parliamentary form of government — succeeds.

Suffice it to say that there are more pressing issues that need to be reported than a presidential candidate’s mental health based on rumors and unverified information. As I had argued in the past, for example, Macapagal-Arroyo herself is a vital election issue.