April 18, 2010

Today, I give the Inquirer's front page to Aquino. Here is today's front page:


The main news is about the Ampatuan case (2 Ampatuans to go free) which obviously do not help give the President a positive image. I personally think that the news coverage on the Ampatuan case is lackluster as many people are going to be surprised by this development. The mass media has not covered all the details of the case, the arguments and issues raised in the courts are not detailed in any report. We just now know that the 2 Ampatuans have strong alibis which we also just heard of now. To think that this case involves the mass media, I hoped this was the news that would be given the proper attention. However, it seems that the mass media, even the Inquirer, thinks that this case does not deserve deep scrutiny.

Meanwhile, in politics, the news reported include an interview with Legarda (Legarda: Why NP’s left, right, center fit together), a news about supposed LP unity (LP Senate bets bare secret of their unity), a title on Perlas's run but not really just a news about him but a rundown on the campaign trail (Why Nicky Perlas’ son convinced him to run) and on Enrile's support for Estrada (Enrile’s order: Vote for Estrada, or else...).

Although the Legarda interview may be construed as positive media for the NP camp and eventually Villar, the report itself gave hints of suspicion. The first paragraph itself is a give away:

If you can believe its vice presidential candidate, the Nacionalista Party is an oasis of calm compared to rival camps beset by infighting and clashes of egos among the big-name politicos running under their banners.

Another stanza shows the inkling of the writer. The report somehow ridicules Legarda:

To hear Legarda—who has run in three national elections since 1998 under different parties with different partners—tell it, running under the NP is pure heaven.

I say that the Legarda interview is not a positive report on the NP. In fact, the issue against the NP is the topic of the report - the Left and the Right's marriage of convenience.

So, although the report gave space to Legarda's praise of Villar, the suspicious topic and character of the news make it in my point of view neutral if not negative for Villar.

Contrast that to the news about the LP "unity", where one would immediately see the positive treatment:

How come no one is defecting from the Liberal Party? Despite limited funding, the LP remains intact.

Their secret: LP standard-bearer Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III knows how to take care of his teammates.

It’s Aquino’s little acts of thoughtfulness that they find most affecting, according to the LP senatorial candidates—Representatives Ruffy Biazon, Teofisto Guingona III and Rissa Hontiveros, and guest candidate, detained Army Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, represented by his wife, Aloy.

Even if all of his time is consumed by the campaign, Aquino makes time to give them pep talks, engage in light banter and even share chichiria (junk food) with them during breaks in the sorties, the LP senatorial candidates told Inquirer editors and reporters on Thursday.

The news about the LP unity is all about Sen. Aquino, specifically his goodness, and a push for the LP senate bets. The whole report itself even reminds the readers of Villaroyo issue by scattering the tag all over it.
If I compare the two news reports, it would be logical to think a writer from the LP campaign wrote both.

Nicky Perlas is given a front page treatment on the Reporter's notebook. However, the news about him is not necessarily on the first page. And the entire news is more on what is happening rather on who the personalities are. So I cannot say if it is positive for Nick Perlas at all.

Lastly the news quoting Enrile's endorsement of Estrada seems at first not to have shown any bias at all. It is, as with the Reporter's notebook report, merely reporting on the events and not of any ideology or opinion. Part of the news though gave space to a mistaken view of Estrada on a possible Ramos endorsement. While the report did not comment on the mistaken view, the news itself gave also the real reason why Estrada is included in Ramos' consideration. So the report is somehow timid on Estrada and the overall effect it seems to me is slightly favoring the former president, but not enough to tilt the whole front page in favor of him.

So in my books, I still give this Inquirer front page as to have favored the candidacy of Sen. Aquino. In the 4 days I have monitored the front page thus far, the score is: Aquino: 4, All the rest: 0.