HOME USE SOCIAL RESPONSL IN COMMUNICATION MEDIA noRANGEL ROSAR1011BRAM P FLOP-ANGEL ROSARIO-BRAID ABOUT THE AUTHOR Florangel Rosario-Braid is the President and Dean of the Asian institute of Journalism, an institution offering graduate degrees in Journalism and in Communication Management. AIJ also undertakes development and communication research and consultancy services. A member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, she authored several provisions foremost of which are those on communication, non-formal education, cooperatives, science and technology and NGOs. As a communication expert, she has published several books among which are Conununication Strategies for Productivity Improvement (1979,1983), The Philippines at the Crossroads: Seine Visions for the Nation (1984), Development Issues: Constitutional Response (1987), Communication and Society. She regularly writes articles on communication and other development issues which are published in professional journals and national dailies. Dr. - Braid has convened numerous communication policy meetings for over a decade. At the Philippine Daily Inquirer where she was President and founding Director, she Introduced the cooperative structure and participative management She served as a UNESCO Adviser to Sri lanka on population communication For two years and has sat In the International Programme for the Development of Communication Council In Paris. Dr. Braid completed her bachelor's degree from the University of the Philippines and took her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Syracuse University. She was a senior researcher at the EastWest Communication Institute, and taught graduate courses at the University of hawaii; University of the Philippines (Diliman and Los Baflos), De La Salle University; Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and the Philippine Women's University. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, Chairman of the Cooperative Foundation of the Philippines, former Chairman of the Philippine Social Science Council and Trustee of Meralco Foundation, Inc. Her deep Involvement in various communication research and development projects has earned for her recognition for outstanding service in rural broadcasting, science and technology, cooperatives and communication. Among her honors is a Service Award by the U.P. College of Education. ASIAN INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION Social Responsibility. in I Communication Media by Florangel Rosario-Braid, Ph.D. I :j • • ¶ $ Copyright 1993 by Katha Publishing Co., Inc. and Florangel Rosario - Braid, Ph.D. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAP! S. P. no. 936 In Published by: Katha Publishing Co., Inc. 388 Quezon Ave., Quezon City Tel #. 7124964 / 7319769 II 10111 ZI *4LO) 1 Communication is perhaps the most vision of our present society which is people critical resource at this time when our country empowerment and alleviation of poverty. is going through a difficult transition. The recent natural disasters, the threat to stability On behalf of UNESCO, I am happy to due to social conflict, and, of course, the note that this book supports UNESCO'S con- deepening poverty - all these require continu- cerns in the use of communication in the ser- ing information flow, dialogue between vice of humanity. I also hope that this aware- government and various sectors of society and ness of the potential of communication for the judicious use of communication technol- development can be translated into creative ogy in processing information needed for strategies for using this important resource in productivity enhancement. addressing the problems of marginalized communities as well as the disaster areas in Most of the articles in this volume have our country. Finally, I hope that the processes been written by a member of the Executive of dialogue, transaction, and cultural com- Committee of the UNESCO National Com- munication could be integrated in the conduct mission who is also the Vice-Chairperson of of government and non-government activities, the Communication Committee. Dr. Floran- so that the elusive goal of peace may be finally gel Rosario-Braid writes not only as an attained. academic, who has had the opportunity to validate theories in the field, but also as a visionary. Her ability to integrate knowledge from various sources attest to her having been able to transcend the boundaries 'of her dis- cipline. This collection of articles which have been published in newspapers, magazines and journals should be of interest not only to development planners and implementors but also to teachers and students of communica- tion. As it provides new development perspectives in the practice of commuñica- LOURDES R. QIJISUMBING tion, the journalist, and media and advertising Secretary-General manager should find it useful as t' y begin to UNESCO reorient their content approaches along the National Commission of the Philippines III TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD by Amb. Lourdes Quisumbing III INTRODUCTION by Florangel Rosario-Braid IX CHAPTER 1 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND OF THE PRESS Freedom of the Press: The Development' Dimension I by Florangel Rosario-Braid Censorship and Responsibility S by Florangel Rosario-Braid Notes on the Responsibility of the Press ' 7 by Florangel Rosario-Braid Freedom of Information and of the Press 9 by Salvador P. Lopez Autonomy and Independence of Print Media in the 15 Philippines: The Bulletin Today Case Study by the AIJ Research Team CHAPTER II CRISIS REPORTING' The Philippine Mass Media in Times of Crisis 21 by Evangeline R. Alberto Media and the Coup: Emerging Roles and 25 Lingering Questions by F.R. Braid, Roberto D. Victoriano and Virgilio S. Labrador Problems of a Hostile Foreign Press 29 by F.R. Braid Communication Proves Essential in Natural Calamities 31 by Ramon R. Tuazon and Bernardo V. Lopez Disaster Preparedness and TV (or How TV should 33 workin Times of Crisis) by Lydia B. Brown Crisis Reporting in the Philippines 37 by Ramon R. Tuazon and Roberto 0. Victoriano CHAPTER III REDEFINING THE ROLE OF MASS MEDIA New Challenges, New Roles for the Módia 43 by F.R. Braid V Community Media: Partners in Science and 45 Technology Popularization by: F.R. Braid Mass Media and the Rights of the Child 51 by F.R. Braid 4 Promoting Sustainable Development 55 by F.R. Braid and R.R. Tuazon Preparing Journalists to mediate in the 61 Transition to the 21st Century by F.R. Braid and R.R. Tuazon A Feedback Mechanism for Media 65 by Georgina R. Encanto CHAPTER IV MEDIA VALUES Media and Society 69 by F.R. Braid Media, Values and Society 75 by F.R. Braid and R.O. Victoriano Communication Approaches on the Filipino Values 79 System Related to Population and Environment by F.R. Braid Need for Another Kind of Investigative Reporting 83 by F.R. Braid CHAPTER V DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION A Development-Oriented Communication Approach: 8'? Some Perspectives by F.R. Braid Participatory Communication: Concepts and Issues 93 by F.R. Braid Information and Communication in Rural Development 95 by F.R. Braid Some Economic and Social Dimensions in Development 101 Communication by F.R. Braid Media and Politics 105 by F.R. Braid People's Agenda for Development and Democracy: 109 Communication Technology and Mass Media Sector by F.R. Braid vI CHAPTER VI THE ADVERTISING INDUSTRY: NEW IMAGES AND MESSAGES The Advertising Dollar and the New Communication Technology 129 by F.R. Braid An Update on a National Communication Policy: 131 An NGO. Perspective byF.R.Braid APPENDIX The Filipino Journalists Code of Ethics 137 Program Standards for News, Public Affairsand 141 Commentaries (Television Code) Program Standards for News, Public Affairs and 145 Commentaries (Radio Code) Advertising Code of Ethics 151 VII INTRODUCTION ver the past decade, communication nalistic duty (which is to report the truth)? O and media have played a critical role Where does one draw the line between in the restoration of democracy. In the protecting sensitive information and gagging process of rebuilding, democratic institutions, the free flow of information? the nation was faced with a series of natural Even in the coverage of natural and man-made crisis -- coup attempts, calamities, the issue of social responsibility earthquake and typhoons and finally Mt. was evident. For example, during the 1'990 Pinatubo eruption. A number of historical earthquake which ravaged Central Luzon, the events, such as the EDSA People's Power most common complaint was the too vivid or Revolution, the drafting and approval of a graphic presentation of death and suffering in new constitution, the termination of the US an attempt to dramatize the extent of damage Bases agreement, and the simultaneous 1992 brought about by calamity. Unintentionally, national and local elections, have some journalists seem to disregard the privacy demonstrated the power of the media. In all and 'dignity of the dead and dying. Says one these events, the public was able to witness media critic, "There are far too many close- and participate as the media played the roles, ups of blood and carnage." of informing, mediating, documenting, analy - zing and mobilizing. The advent of the Information Society makes it imperative to exercise social respon- With the emergence of media as a force sibility. A new dimension is also added to the in our national life is the realization of the concept. In the past, social responsibility was' need to emphasize the social responsibility of narrowly defined in terms of the traditional the communication media. This means that principles of objectivity, accuracy, impar- media must be able to promote and protect tiality, and truthfulness. Today, in an environ- the common good. Ever since, there has been ment where access to information is a sine long and often bitter debates on freedom and qua non of political, economic, and social responsibility. Some regard these two con- power, it is crucial for journalists to ensure cepts as mutually exclusive. Our view is that the widest dissemination and sharing of infor- freedom and responsibility must go hand in mation.