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Blogging the Philippine elections: Making sure your blog is not for sale

Jul 17, 2009 12:36

It may have taken several years and elections, but citizen journalism is expected to play a key role in covering the Philippine presidential polls in 2010. One sign of recognition for Filipino bloggers and citizen journalists is that the Philippine Commission on Elections is officially welcoming blog coverage of the polls.

Here's an excerpt from the INQUIRER.net story.

The Comelec is formulating a "framework of cooperation" with the blogging community to cover key points in the elections such as voter education and field testing of counting machines, the Commission spokesman James Jimenez said. "We believe that bloggers represent a significant part of the general public to be informed about the most recent developments in elections automation," Jimenez, who is also a blogger, told INQUIRER.net.

I applaud this kind of progressive thinking, and this validates my long-held belief that it's the competence and integrity of the individual that matters, and not whether he or she is a blogger or a journalist. We have good and bad bloggers, just as we have good and bad journalists.

Conversely, Filipino bloggers should also be aware of unscrupulous quarters that may try to use them to advance the latter's own interests. In every election, traditional media is supposed to play the role of watchdog while also guarding against the temptation to sell out to candidates. We know, however, that ethical discussions have been spawned by political ads, media companies endorsing their preferred candidate, and other conflicts of interest. Sometimes, it's outright corruption in the case of some journalists who are for sale.

What then can the blogging community do to guard against such temptation themselves? These are ethical issues that media organizations have been wrestling with forever, and the right of bloggers to cover the news also comes with certain responsibilities to their readers.

I'm actually hopeful that the Philippine blogosphere will face up to the challenge and help to safeguard democracy and the sanctity of the ballot. Maybe that makes me an optimist, but I'd like to believe that the alternative media that was born, in part, by some of the shortcomings of traditional media, will not itself become a victim of greed and corruption.

Blogging has empowered us as individuals; let's make sure we exercise this power responsibly.

Otherwise, what kind of coverage can the public expect from a blogger, if his or her blog is for sale?

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