The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) expressed its qualified agreement on Susan Roces’ statement regarding biased and unbalanced reporting, but the farmers’ group did not limit it to Channel 2. According to Willy Marbella, spokesperson of KMP, “generally speaking most of media outfits protect certain vested interests which not only affects but to a great extent dictates what comes out of the news. Take the news on the Hacienda Luisita Massacre, for example, now nary a peep comes out in media of what is happening in the hacienda or the investigation, nor negotiation,”

“Large mobilizations have been conducted by the farm workers here in Manila last December 10 and yesterday to call for justice for the martyrs in the massacre, but it did not even get media mileage on TV or even in print. Up till now the Cojuangcos still refuse to negotiate with the farm workers, but does this come out in the news? No, and worse are these events even covered by the media? Who tells them what to cover in the first place, anyway?” asked the peasant leader.

“We pity those journalists who do our stories but when it reaches the editors the stories gets marginalized or worse entirely scrapped because of the money and influence of certain powerful families and or corporations, let alone if they are the owners of the media outfit,” added Marbella.

As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP, “all we ask is for media to give us ample space to air the side of the aggrieved party in this case the families of the Hacienda Luisita victims. We understand that the current “BIG NEWS” these days is the death of Fernando Poe Jr., and it is the news that sells nowadays. But there are other stories happening in our country that has to be known by the public,”

“If media is to take the side of anybody, then it should take the side of the oppressed and the exploited because if not then it would just be a mouthpiece of powerful clans or government institutions like the Cojuangcos and Malacanang. If media cannot do this yet, then at least be balanced in your news and reporting and refrain from sensationalism,” ended Ala. # # #
 

KMP - 17 December 2004