(For the full transcript, go to Gelo Lopez’s blog.)

First of all, let’s state the obvious. Revillame had every right to say whatever he felt he should say to defend himself. No problem there. We are all just exercising our rights to speak out.

On the matter of whether or not Revillame’s rant held valid points, well, that would entail a bit more analysis. If we are to listen carefully to his statement what he said can be broken down as follows:

• I have done nothing wrong.
• This is the handiwork of those who want to put me down specifically ABS-CBN.
• I can afford to retire from the industry. It is my followers and my staff in the show who stand to lose if I go off the air.
• I have been doing a lot of charitable works. Have my detractors done the same?

Let’s dissect these one by one.

I have done nothing wrong.

It really is debatable if Revillame did or did not commit child abuse. As far as I’m concerned that is an issue best left sorted out in a court of law. In case you want an intelligent argument against the accusation, you can find one over at Indolent Indio.

I can understand Revillame’s insistence that he committed nothing wrong. The main accusation, which has become the major basis for the current indignation bandwagon, is child abuse. It would be utterly stupid of him not to react to that.

However, I feel Revillame is deliberately avoiding one other issue, for which he is clearly guilty without question. I suspect he himself knows this. I’m talking about his apparent lack of good judgment and responsibility as an influential media personality. As was pointed out in my first blogpost about this issue:

It could have passed off as nothing serious, but Revillame’s misplaced thinking that it was cute of him to have the little boy repeat the performance over and over again clearly showed an absence of good judgment on his part.

As it is, Revillame seems to be glossing over this particular issue. It’s simply not correct of him to say that he did nothing wrong.

This is the handiwork of those who want to put me down specifically ABS-CBN.

I don’t know if this whole thing was started by ABS-CBN or any specific group that has for its main goal the downfall of Willie Revillame. What I do know that I’m very sure of is that not everyone who expressed indignation over this issue is affiliated with ABS-CBN or any anti-Willie group.

I can only speak for myself. As a blogger, one of my advocacies has always been to get media to shape up. In fact, as early as the May 2010 elections, I have been writing about what I believe to be Philippine media’s tendency to make dumb people out of Filipinos.

It is actually quite dishonest of Revillame to make this out as nothing more than a concerted effort by groups with vested interests to bring him down. It is not.

Now in fairness to Revillame, it is possible that ABS-CBN is now riding on the issue. Well, I think Revillame shouldn’t worry about that too much. If ABS-CBN wants to get involved then so be it. The truth is ABS-CBN does have a lot to do with this issue considering the kind of crap programming it has been serving the Filipino people for some time now. Let’s not forget also that Revillame is largely an ABS-CBN creation.

Again, this issue is not just about the alleged child abuse. It is also about media responsibility, a fact that even TV5′s president Ray Espinosa and consumer goods company Unilever acknowledged.

1) To temporarily suspend effective Monday, April 11, 2011, our participation in all reality-based live game shows across all networks. This measure will be in place until we observe stricter and objective self-regulatory guidelines across networks and proper enforcement by the relevant government agencies of existing content regulations.

I think Revillame said it perfectly.

Kung sususpindihin niyo kami, suspindihin ninyong lahat yan.

I can afford to retire from the industry. It is my followers and my staff in the show who stand to lose if I go off the air.

There’s no denying the fact that Revillame is a very rich man. I can imagine that he can very well not do anything related to work anymore yet he’d still be comfortable many times over.

He does have a point when he said it is those in his production staff who stand to lose in case his show is taken off the air. I can’t say the same about his viewers though.

Contrary to what Revillame has been saying all these years, his program is not a public service endeavor. Just think about it. Of the hundreds if not thousands of people who line up to be part of his program’s live studio audience, how many of them really get money from Revillame? How much on average do they get? Is money distributed to them automatically or does it happen under some random or whimsical selection process?

Let’s acknowledge the fact that for the poor, the demographic which Revillame claims to be the main “beneficiary” of his program, a few thousand pesos is a big deal. Still, are they really being helped by this dole-out set up being promoted by Revillame?

Now assuming that Revillame is indeed doing a lot of good for his staff and his followers, doesn’t it then become more important for him to be more responsible and to keep out of trouble so he can continue his good deeds?

Revillame shouldn’t be blaming anyone for putting his program in danger of being taken off the air temporarily or permanently. He could have avoided this.

I have been doing a lot of charitable works. Have my detractors done the same?

It might seem a distasteful assertion to some, including myself, but it cannot be denied that Revillame raised a valid point. But what Revillame failed to realize is that if being charitable comes to him naturally then it shouldn’t matter whether or not his program exists. If he has the means and he feels like doing it then he can continue using his wealth to help others. It’s as simple as that.

Well, okay, let’s acknowledge that fact that Revillame was just so offended he felt compelled to get back at his detractors specifically those among his colleagues in the industry. Again that is his right.

I now wonder what Jim Paredes, Aiza Seguerra, Agot Isidro and the others that Revillame identified have to say about that.

PinoyBuzz wrote something interesting in his article Willing Revillame Goes On Leave After Advertisers Pull-Out.

But, what I do hope for is that the outrage movement that was sparked by the sexually suggestive dancing of a six year old didn’t come to be just because of a shared hatred for Willy Revillame.

Indeed, this whole indignation bandwagon should be motivated by something bigger than mere contempt for Revillame. The television host is just one person. There are much bigger fish to fry such as the whole broadcasting industry.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Revillame continue his work as a television host as long as he makes some major adjustments. I sincerely hope he would spend the next two weeks in serious reflection. He already has the influence. He might as well use that for something that would benefit an even bigger number of people in ways that go beyond providing a diversion and a few thousand pesos that wouldn’t even last a week.

There are some companies actively targeting the youth market. Visit their offices and you will see that most of the people attending their seminars are kids as young as 16 years old.

Starting kids early in business is good but there’s a problem in this particular situation. What if the companies I described above are actually engaged in an unethical and possibly illegal scheme?

On the surface, the marketing approach of these companies seem harmless. They market to kids specifically college students because they see this demographic as “hyperactive.” According to their analysis of the market, college-level kids are the best group to market to because they spread information fast and they are very interested in making extra money.

I’m not buying it. I can see there’s something devious going on here. In my opinion, these companies are actually exploiting the fact that kids are much easier to convince with promises of easy cash. In short, these companies are out to dupe these kids.

I would suggest that the parents of these kids find time to help their children figure out what’s going on.

I’ve checked out these companies and I saw a number of red flags. For starters, their products are overpriced and their starter kits are padded to compensate for headhunting fees.

I’m confident an honest-to-goodness review of these companies’ operations would support my assessment. Unfortunately, until such a review is conducted these companies would just continue to operate.

A CALL TO MY FELLOW ARTISTS IN THE PHILIPPINES
by Monique Wilson on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 12:12am

The debate is no longer whether it was child abuse or not. The facts are plain to see. No one with a sense of respect for another human being can dispute that. The discourse now is how we, as Filipinos, as artists involved in the same industry that created Willy and shows like his, could have allowed this to go on for as long as it has. And what is our individual and collective participation in it?

Let’s talk honestly about our TV networks. The culprit now is TV5 – with its’ blatant lack of decency by even hiring someone like Willy Revillame – a callous, insensitive individual who preys on the needs of poor, uneducated Filipinos. They hired him for ratings and money at the expense of the integrity, dignity and self-respect of the most vulnerable in our society. Now wasn’t channel 2 guilty of the very same thing? Let’s observe very closely many other game shows and reality shows across all the networks – can we not deduce very overt similarities? That networks are propelled by greed – ratings, money? Is there really, in all honesty, a local network, that can claim they put human values above all that? I don’t think so. I turn on the television to watch local shows and I feel uncomfortable. We have news reports that are horrifyingly biased and sensationalist, we have noon- time variety shows that exploit women and insult our intelligence, we have talk shows that are intrusive, subjective and tasteless – the list goes on and on. I am not saying, of course, that all shows fall beneath our standards of human decency – there are some TV shows that go against the grain, break the boundaries and give us quality – but they are so few. Even how the networks create the demarcation lines – A and B for middle and upper class, C and D for lower class? What kind of senseless segregating is that? It’s like saying, depending on what “class” you belong to, you cannot “appreciate” certain kinds of shows. This insults me as it should insult everybody. This is one of the roots of the problem. ALL our TV networks dumb down audiences in one way or the other. They keep the lines segregated. TV, like any other cultural form – and let’s face it, TV has become our common culture in the Philippines – should be used to EDUCATE, EMPOWER, INSPIRE, AWAKEN. But when you see shows like “Willing Willie” – and many other similar shows – they do the opposite. They dumb down audiences. They disempower them by creating a mendicant society with game shows that promise “quick money”. They keep them dependent on hand- outs, instead of creating opportunities for them to build skills. There is nothing inspiring about this.

And now, we can all rant and rave, but unless we do something concrete about our rage – we will just be passive bystanders. Sometimes it does seem insurmountable and overwhelming because the problem is huge. But we can play our part. We can do just ONE thing. That is better than doing nothing at all. Whether that be creating an online petition to deliver to TV5, CRH or DSWD, or whether we boycott the sponsors of the show/s, or write letters to all our newspapers, or make your voices heard with your local congress representatives and let them know this is unacceptable to you. I think we all need to take a good, long, hard look at our local shows – and if we feel they exploit our fellow Filipinos, whether they be children or women – then we MUST boycott the sponsors that enable them. Boycotts are effective. They hit where it has a tangible monetary, economic effect. That is how apartheid South Africa crumbled. That is what is supporting the Palestinians right to self-determination with the BDS campaign now. In the process we need to look at what we ourselves value. If we expect people to treat us with respect, decency, integrity and dignity – we must INSIST and DEMAND that everyone else should be treated in the same way. And as artists, our responsibility is GREATER. We are part of this problem. When we remain silent, we allow this to continue. When we turn a blind eye, our apathy also abuses the vulnerable in our society. When we don’t demand artistic excellence in our fields and settle for mediocre entertainment, we are just as bad as the networks who just do things for profit. As artists, we must REFUSE to play. We must DEMAND more from our industry.

So this is a call to my fellow artists from television, film and theatre. Please let your voices be heard. Don’t sit on the fence because you fear you won’t be given work. It is this fear that networks also rely on to keep their machineries in place – machineries that not only lack some very basic human values, but also aesthetics. We keep saying Filipinos artists are world class – well let’s prove it now. There are international standards we must insist on when it comes to our local entertainment industry – film, theatre, tv, etc – why should we settle for anything less? We are part of the creation of our artistic culture – we must protect it and demand more for it. We must not allow it to be used for the continued exploitation of our fellow Filipinos.

Art and culture have value in our society.

They awaken minds

They nurture thought

They inspire courage

They open up compassion

They give us possibilities

They excavate the texture of humanity

They teach us humility and love

They open paths

They give us freedom to explore

They teach us how to listen

They keep us connected

They allow us to take in

They teach us to be involved

to defy

to demand

to be full

to live

to stay awake

to be present…..in the moment.

But most of all

They demand that we SERVE.

So please don’t waste these possibilities with your silence.

That’s how you get out of trouble when you’re in a country where STUPID rules. Just appeal to the lowest sensibilities. That’s what Willie Revillame did, no doubt about it. And as before, he depicted himself again as a victim.

What Willie clearly did — probably on the advice of some crisis management expert — was to let the blame shift from himself to the father.

The sad thing is a lot of people bought this sorry excuse for an apology.

It’s clear now. Willie is God. The god of a clueless nation.

It may be difficult to establish a clear correlation between many of our country’s ills and the influence of broadcast media especially television, but it’s quite clear even to the casual observer that most TV programs today do not promote proper values and that can certainly pose a problem down the road.

Take the case of the ever-popular show of Willie Revillame. What does it provide its viewers, really? Obviously, it’s all entertainment.

Now the problem isn’t so much that Willing Willie showcases nothing but entertainment. People do need the occasional diversion from life’s more serious aspects. The problem really is the crassness of it all.

Of course, those who enjoy this type of entertainment could easily argue that there are all kinds of entertainment. There’s high brow like ballet, theater and classical music and there’s the more pedestrian ones like game shows, reality shows, and showbiz gossip programs. Different products for different markets. Fair enough.

The problem really is when the medium becomes dominated — in terms of number and prominence — by programs that offer no real value to the public. Just check how many educational programs there are compared with the number of Willing Willie-style variety shows, telenovelas and showbiz talk shows. The difference is quite glaring. Consider too that even local TV news and so-called current affairs and public service shows are also becoming more showbizy by the minute as special emphasis is now being given more to sob stories and feel-good dramatics rather than real, useful information.

The concerned TV networks should really take a step back and reassess their purpose and role in our society. Are they here to turn us into smarter, thinking people or are they here to make us dumb? Are they going to raise the bar or are they going to lower it even further?

The answer to that last question is actually quite obvious. Just consider the latest booboo involving the 6-year old boy named Jan-Jan who was repeatedly made to perform a dance that is quite questionable as a talent showcase for a child.

It could have passed off as nothing serious, but Revillame’s misplaced thinking that it was cute of him to have the little boy repeat the performance over and over again clearly showed an absence of good judgment on his part. As expected, not a few people were compelled to raise a howl over the whole thing.

It can be assumed that the local TV industry is made up of adults so there’s probably no more need to elaborate on why this Jan-Jan controversy should prompt its executives to rethink what they’re doing. In case they still fail to realize what’s wrong, the following video should help them figure it out.

(There was an embedded video here, but the one who uploaded it on YouTube has changed the settings to private. The video showed an adult teaching two children how to gyrate like Jan-Jan. That video was embedded here to stress the point that unacceptable behavior shown on TV are emulated by some people, both by children and adults.)

Now, do we even need to wonder why even Jan-Jan’s family didn’t feel offended by any of this?

(Update: Willie Revillame issued an “apology” last night. Click on the link to see the video.)

I’m really concerned that this administration will get us into bigger trouble one of these days. The probability of that happening is big mind you. Just consider the fact that this administration is not even a year old and yet we’ve seen quite a number of missteps and outright foolishness committed by its top officials including the president himself.

A lot of things have happened in recent weeks that clearly warrant serious attention. One is the apparent escalation of violent crime, a good number of which allegedly involve police officers. Another is the allegations of corruption in the military. And there’s more.

"Ikaw naman kasi. Bumoto ka pa. La ka naman brains."

Well, shit happens, that’s a fact of life. Other countries have their own share of problems. But what makes our situation different is we have a president who can’t seem to show he is on top of the situation. It doesn’t help that some of his decisions and actions tend to cement the perception that he is just coasting along, enjoying himself, unmindful of what’s happening around him.

Mr. Aquino’s recent purchase of a Porsche certainly did not help dispel that notion. The same is true for his recent visit to Palawan to personally see the province’s famous underground river. The Palace line is that the president wanted to help promote the campaign to get the river listed as one of the “New 7 Wonders of the World.” Apparently, there’s an ongoing search. I checked and I found this bit of information about it:

(from Wikipedia; highlights mine)

New Seven Wonders of the World was a project that attempted to update the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World concept with a modern list of wonders. A popularity poll was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber[1] and organized by the Swiss-based, government-controlled New7Wonders Foundation,[2] with winners announced on July 7, 2007 in Lisbon.[3]

The New7Wonders Foundation claimed that more than 100 million votes were cast through the Internet or by telephone. Nothing prevented multiple votes, so the poll was considered “decidedly unscientific”.[4] According to John Zogby, founder and current President/CEO of the Utica, New York-based polling organization Zogby International, New7Wonders Foundation drove “the largest poll on record”.[3]

The program drew a wide range of official reaction. Some countries touted their finalist and tried to get more votes cast for it, while others downplayed or criticized the contest.[3][3][4] After supporting the New7Wonders Foundation at the beginning of the campaign, by providing advice on nominee selection, The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) distanced itself from the undertaking in 2007.[5][6]

As we can see, this search is not even of any great significance. Sure, it can be said that the President is helping promote local tourism, but did he really need to visit Palawan while there are other more important things begging for his attention? In the first place, no amount of promotion will help boost local tourism if problems like rising criminality are left to persist.

It’s no big wonder some people think that whole Palawan trip was nothing more than a sight-seeing excursion taken at a time when there are a lot more pressing matters that need attention.

Unfortunately, there are also those who think there’s nothing wrong with all this. In spite of all the obvious failings and failures of this administration, there are still many who would insist that Noynoy Aquino getting elected as President is the best thing that happened to this country. Just check the latest Social Weather Stations survey. It shows that 74% of respondents are satisfied with how Mr. Aquino is running things. SWS says that translates to a record-high, very good net satisfaction rating of +64. We’re of course assuming that this survey is for real.

For the love of halo-halo, is this not undeniable proof that this country is screwed either way? It demands a stretch of the imagination to understand how anyone would feel satisfied with this administration’s performance at this point in time. What significant result has it achieved anyway? Raise the people’s hopes? ROFL!!! WTF!!! Hope on what? Ah, of course, the mythical yellow whatever.

There’s no denying a lot of people still fall for this sham, a fact this Aquino administration is all too willing to exploit. Just this week, Malacanang issued a memorandum circular enjoining “government officials and employees to display People-Power-themed décor, including yellow buntings, stickers and tarpaulins, to mark the 25th anniversary celebration of the 1986 EDSA revolt.”

Furthermore, a gmanews.tv report said:

The Palace pointed out the EDSA-1 revolt from Feb. 22 to 25, 1986 “restored democratic institutions and ushered in meaningful political, social, and economic reforms in the country.”

“It was a moment in our history when millions of Filipinos bravely united for democratic reforms through peaceful means which earned our country the respect and admiration of the world,” it said.

Tsige na nga. Let’s commemorate this momentous event, but let’s not forget about our responsibilities, okay? Uh-oh, too late for such wishful thinking. In the same memorandum circular, Malacanang “also urged government officials and employees in particular to join related activities such as fora, lectures, film showing, and tree-planting.”

C’mon, what’s so special about Edsa Fiesta 1 that state workers — who, as we all know are paid using taxpayers’ money — should stop doing productive work in favor of something leisurely as watching a film? Talk about setting a bad example.

I’m willing to give Malacanang and the President the benefit of the doubt. After all it’s not that difficult to imagine Mr. Aquino having the means to buy whatever he wants. What’s P4.5 million anyway to a Cojuangco?

I’m wondering though if the President thought twice before he decided to make that purchase. I mean he should know that anything he does will be scrutinized. And what about the bright boys and girls handling his image-building machinery? Did they even try to discourage him?

Perhaps they didn’t realize that the timing is really bad. Just this week the Department of Transportation and Communications announced the new rates of the MRT and LRT. Also very recently, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board announced an increase in taxi fare. We know how these were received by the general public.

Incidentally, Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma practically dismissed all concerns raised about these increases. Coloma said it’s all part of progress. I wonder what progress Coloma was talking about?

For now, let’s ask the question many of us are itching to blurt out: Whatever happened to being a simple president?

Remember that hotdog lunch in New York, which Malacanang used to try to establish that President Aquino is so much simpler than former President Gloria Arroyo? I hate to point out the obvious, but this thing with the Porsche makes it clear that President Aquino is not simple, well, at least, not in the way they say he is.

But what do I care that our President has a taste for expensive vehicles? As far as I’m concerned, he can buy whatever he wants as long as he uses his own money. Yun ang trip niya eh.

I do wonder though how the rabid yellow horde are taking this. Remember, Aquino’s supposed simplicity was one of the reasons why they supported him. If I were one of them, I’d really feel embarrassed now.

I’m no fan of Mr. Moreno but I sure can admire his undying love for the movie industry. However I do feel that, as with his signature jackets, he sometimes goes overboard with his praise. I would sometimes hear him say things like, “ipagmalaki natin ang pelikulang Pilipino,” or “suportahan natin ang Pelikulang Pilipino.”

I don’t know about you, but whenever Mr. Moreno says such things I feel a bit of pity for him. Here he is a veteran who has seen the industry when it was still producing praise-worthy samples of cinematic art now forced to praise non-existent brilliance.

It cannot be denied that for the longest time now Philippine cinema has been producing nothing but garbage, recycled garbage even. Just consider the entries of the Metro Manila Film Festival in the past 5 years or so. They’re mostly the same movies with the same plot lines and characters, with the same titles even year in year out. Talk about creativity.

I can acknowledge that perhaps local movie producers stick to tried and tested formulas because of the pressure to make some money. What I don’t understand is why these producers still bother to make movies when they know there has been a steady decline in the patronage of locally made films. Are they doing this to keep the industry alive?

I will admit that I prefer foreign films over locally produced ones. I think I have a valid reason for that. I don’t find local movies interesting, exciting or even entertaining at all.

The last Filipino movie I watched in a theater was the Rene Requiestas-Kris Aquino starrer Pido Dida. It was a complete waste of time and money. I remember it was film festival week and there were no foreign movies playing. This is actually one of my criticisms of the Metro Manila Film festival. Why limit the choices of moviegoers to several local films the quality of which ranges from bad to really bad?

Senator Bong Revilla Jr., who happens to be one of the lead stars of one of this year’s MMFF entries, once authored a bill to push for a reduction in the amusement tax imposed on movie producers. I don’t know what has become of that bill but that was his way of helping the industry.

I don’t know if you notice a pattern. It seems there a lot of interventions going on in support of the industry. It’s not difficult to see why moves such as reducing taxes (Revilla’s bill) and taking out foreign competition (local movies only policy during MMFF week) are seen by insiders as the solution to the industry’s problems.

I, of course, disagree. I think there’s a better solution, one that would benefit everyone involved including moviegoers who are willing to pay good money for an enjoyable cinematic experience. The solution I propose — Make Better Movies.

Yes, it’s as simple as that.

So how should the industry go about creating better movies. Does it simply hire better directors, writers, actors, production people, etcetera? Obviously. However, I think the first step is to stop all this showbiz nonsense.

Industry insiders should be honest enough to call out a bad movie or a bad performance regardless of who was responsible for it. So what if the “offender” is the Mega-Super-Duper-Star-For-All-Occasions? One cannot improve if all he hears are praises for even his worst output.

Speaking of outputs, here are this year’s MMFF winners:

Best Actress – Ai Ai delas Alas (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To!)
Best Supporting Actress – Eugene Domingo (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To!)
Best Picture – Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To!
Best Director – Wenn V. Deramas (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To!)
Best Child Performer – Xyriel Manabat (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To!)
Best Screenplay – Mel del Rosario (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To!)
Best Musical Score – Jesse Lasatem (Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To!)
Gender Sensitive Award: Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To!
Best Actor – Dolphy (Father Jejemon)
Best supporting Actor – Dolphy (Rosario)
2nd Best Picture – Rosario
Best Cinematography – Carlo Mendoza (Rosario)
Best Editing – John Wong (Rosario)
Best Production Design – Joel Luna and Miki Hahn (Rosario)
Gatpuno Antonio Villegas Cultural Award – Rosario
Best Float – Rosario
Best Dressed – Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado (Rosario)
3rd Best Picture – RPG Metanoia
Best Theme Song – “Kaya Ko” (RPG Metanoia)
Gender Sensitive Award: Special Citation for Animation – RPG Metanoia
Best Sound Recording – Ambient Media (RPG Metanoia) and Ditoy Aguila (Super Inday and the Golden Bibe)
Best Visual Effects – Rico Gutierrez and Co. (Si Agimat at si Enteng Kabisote)
Best Indie Film – Presa (Adolf Alix)
Faces of the Night – Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Sam Pinto

Let’s ignore that troubling detail about having a Best Float, Best Dressed and Faces of the Night. Let’s focus on the top awards. Notice that those went to comedians and the comedy film “Ang Tanging Ina Mo Rin: Last Na ‘To.” Admittedly, I find this odd since I’m not used to the idea of comedy films being hailed as showcases of great acting and great stories, well, at least in this part of the world. But for “Tanging Ina” director Wenn Deramas, this victory is proof of a growing respect for comedies.

Well, to me this outcome is just funny, ridiculous even. But what else can we expect? Contrary to what it is making itself out to be, the MMFF is not exactly the best way to determine artistic or creative excellence in local conema. How can that be when its criteria for judging includes box-office earnings? It’s clear to me that the MMFF is nothing more than a popularity contest.

I really feel for the Master Showman. I can tell that he sincerely wants Philippine Cinema to regain its lost glory. I suspect he even knows the industry’s future depends on the quality of its output. It’s just too bad he is considered a showbiz luminary, an icon and as such he can’t just go around criticizing his colleagues. Actually, he can but that would be too un-showbiz.

I’m convinced that this is the wrong approach if the intention is to get more people to watch the news or to boost their news programs’ credibility. The way I understand it credibility is a result of consistent and excellent work. It’s not the other way around.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the local TV networks are not really after credibility. Maybe the target is just popularity. That makes sense after all most people here seem to equate popularity with credibility. Just consider the fact that in Philippine-style elections the most popular almost always wins.

So what’s the problem with using the personality-approach in promoting the news? For one, it smacks of show business, which is something this country doesn’t need more of. Giving the public more personalities to ogle at won’t do anyone any good. What they need — even if they may not necessarily want it — is better information.

Speaking of show business, it should be pointed out that there’s a lot of showbiz fakery going on in TV news. Here’s a classic from overseas.

This sort of thing also happens here. Next time there’s a live TV report about a big storm, take note of the reporter’s appearance. He/she will most likely be dripping wet. Keep an eye out too for the news anchors in the studio. Some of them like to wear rain clothes on such occasions as if there’s also rain inside the studio.

Of course, none of these crazy antics can compare to the ultimate fakery of all: Some news anchors don’t really know what they’re talking about. Not surprising since, with the exception of at least one, most of these anchors are just pretty faces who also happen to know how to project credibility while reading from a teleprompter.

Well, projecting credibility seems to be a big deal for TV news. I wonder though if this personality-centered approach would help correct the perception that TV news is the most stupid among the three traditional news media sources (TV, radio, print).

In case you’re wondering, here are the most common points against TV news:

(from: http://www.abacon.com/stovall/lecture09presentation/sld003.htm)

too short, too shallow

pictures drive a story

superficial over substance

clichés in writing, reporting

Now let’s take a look at each one.

Too Short, Too Shallow
In this regard, the problem really is the medium. The average TV news report runs from about 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Seriously, can anyone really provide substantial reporting with such a limitation?

Pictures drive a story
It’s bad enough that TV news is driven by pictures or video to be exact, but now much of that video highlights not the story but the reporter. Making oneself the story seems to be the in-thing nowadays among TV reporters.

Superficial over substance
I suspect at some point in TV news history someone said, “Hey, it’s called an idiot box anyway so we might as well make our reports idiotic.”

But seriously, consider the fact that in TV news the structure of the reports are based on what is called “dramatic unity.”

(from: http://www.ablongman.com/stovall6e/chp07/chp07.html)
Dramatic unity — The most common story structure for the broadcast news story is dramatic unity with its three parts: climax, cause and effect. Students should also understand the importance of an attention-getting lead in making sure that listeners hear and understand their stories. Such leads require a deft touch on the part of the writer. They may look easy to produce at first glance, but they are more difficult to do well than they appear.

The problem with this is that the most dramatic detail isn’t always the most important.

Cliches in writing, reporting
This one’s pretty obvious. Just listen to the closing sentences of TV news reports. One sports news reporter is particularly notorious in this regard. In most of his reports on Manny Pacquiao’s boxing matches he always says something like, “ngunit ang pinakamatinding sandata ni Manny ay ang kanyang puso.”

I asked a friend who used to work in the TV news industry what she thinks of the observation that TV news is the most stupid. Surprisingly, she said it’s true. She even sent me an email enumerating some reasons she says contribute to the stupidity.

thought i’d share this…

local tv news is stupid. allow me to enumerate some reasons:

1. in general people who apply for tv news on-cam work do so not because they want to be serious journalists. they just want to see their faces on tv and hopefully become famous. that is their main motivation.

2. most people who apply for the position of tv reporter have mass comm or other related degrees. writing and other “journalistic” skills are not at all honed in such courses given their generalized scope. it is not unusual to see a newbie tv reporter being deployed to cover complicated senate session or court hearings.

3. very little “writing” discipline is observed in tv news. grammar rules even in tagalog newscasts are practically ignored. this can be attributed to the fact that most script editors do not even bother to review the rules before they unleash their “editing” prowess on the reports submitted to them. this lack of “writing” discipline in the TV newsroom leads to the propagation of wrong writing rules invented by script editors who haven’t even heard of a dangling modifier.

4. in tv news, soundbyte is king. this antiquated rule forces the whole tv news production team to use short, keyword-centric phrases from their interviews. unfortunately, such phrases are usually just motherhood statements.

Interestingly, a recent study shows a link between a popular TV news source and misinformation in the United States.

(from http://www.alternet.org/story/149193/study_confirms_that_fox_news_makes_you_stupid/)

Yet another study has been released proving that watching Fox News is detrimental to your intelligence. World Public Opinion, a project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, conducted a survey of American voters that shows that Fox News viewers are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources. What’s more, the study shows that greater exposure to Fox News increases misinformation.

You can find the full survey report here.

So what’s the point of this rant? I have only two major points to make. The first one I address to the bigshots running the various TV news departments. If you really want to provide public service through information, please do better work. Focus on improving your output not on turning your reporters and news anchors into celebrities.

My second point is for the viewers. Don’t rely too much on TV news for information. Make sure to get additional information from other sources and use critical thinking in analyzing what you see and hear.

Actually, there’s a third point and it’s for both the TV news people and the viewing public.

Popularity Is Not Credibility.