I am red with embarrassment about PH reporting on PH Agriculture being on the average, average. In the first place, PH journalism is unexciting, uninspired.
Via iGreenfields, I want to help change journalism, starting from the top.
My question: "Why are PH journalists dull?"
Which begs the question: "Why are PH editors dull?"
Editors must be better than their journalists.
Our journalists are writing in the style of the 50s. Like: they keep repeating a few tiresome, lonesome verbs:
added, argued, beat, cited, clashed, concluded, cut, explained, increased, nixed, picked, set, snared, struck, stunned, swept, topped, volunteered, won.
Not winning verbs, I must say!
And PH authors, and/or editors, are slipping on the job!
From Manila Bulletinof 07 December 2019[1]:
How Google and Facebook threatens human rights
A few weeks ago, Amnesty International, "a global movement of more than 7 million people who take injustice personally", has published a report on the surveillance capitalists, particularly Facebook and Google. You can find the full report here. The report extensively reveals how Facebook and Google's business model, surveillance capitalism, threatens human rights.
How many errors can you see there in those 60 words in italics? I can count up to 6! I rewrite in the present tense and I count 5, rewrite in the past and count 6 mistakes. (Email me if you can't find all of them: frankahilario@gmail.com.)
And here is from The Manila Times of 08 December 2019[2]:
The poll conducted from September 27 to 30 among 1,800 Filipino adults nationwide showed that 78 percent of the respondents valued the Philippines' ties with the US than with China while only 12 percent said they thought the country's relationship with China was more important.
On the other hand, 5 percent said the country's relationship with both the US and China were equally important and four percent did not have an answer.
As of September 2019, China's trust rating among Filipinos was ranked "bad," with 54 percent of Filipinos saying they have "little trust" in China, 21 have "much trust" and 23 percent were undecided.
Meanwhile, the US got a +72 "excellent" trust rating among Filipinos, with 80 percent of respondents saying they have "much trust," eight percent have "little trust" and 11 percent were undecided.
136 words, and I see 6 errors. No, not obvious.
I am red not with anger but embarrassment! (Look at above image again.)
Where did we Pinoys get our journalism? That is not how the Americans (or British) write their news!
And no, PH journalists do not do any background research on the subject they are writing about. There is no excuse today for such behavior because we are in a digital universe, and all you have to do is surf the Web.
Not formula writing. Journalism is not simply to come out with the "facts" of something – it is to enlighten, to provide more information, or to entertain without theatrics.
Make it red. Now I'm red, excited. Let us all enliven PH journalism!@517
reprinted from my own iGreenfields blog, same date.
reprinted from my own iGreenfields blog, same date.
[1]https://technology.mb.com.ph/2019/12/07/how-google-and-facebook-threatens-human-rights/
[2]https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/12/08/news/headlines/pinoys-value-ties-with-us-over-china-sws/662505/
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