To Marcoleta and Cayetano: Journalism is not public relations

(As a manifestation of support for members of the press covering the Philippine Senate, and for the entire Fourth Estate that was directly or indirectly maligned by Senator Rodante Marcoleta's statement tagging journalists as “bayaran” or paid hacks, BICOL MAIL is republishing this advocacy statement. — The Editor)

Not Our Job, Senators

Here is a lesson in media literacy: No public official is entitled to favorable coverage from the press.

Again, for emphasis: No public official is entitled to favorable coverage from the press.

This reminder should disabuse some senators of the notion that news organizations are obligated to report on them positively—or even mention them at all.

The press is not the public relations arm of the Senate or any government agency. No self-respecting journalist will capitulate to demands for publicity, no matter how loudly or proudly a politician throws a tantrum.

That distinction appeared lost on Senator Rodante Marcoleta when he accused members of the media of being "bayaran" during a recent Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing led by the minority bloc headed by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.

An Old Grievance

After drawing widespread criticism, Marcoleta apologized and said he had spoken “out of frustration.” Yet he used the occasion to revive an old grievance against the media, lamenting that his participation in the Iglesia ni Cristo rally in January last year received little attention from major newspapers.

“I spoke for about 45 minutes in that rally,” he said in Filipino. “When the Philippine Star reported on that incident, eight reporters worked on a single report.”

“On the other hand, three reporters from the Philippine Daily Inquirer worked together on the same story. So 11 reporters heard it, yet my name was not even mentioned,” he added. “How come 11 reporters did not see me or hear me as though I did not exist?”

First, Marcoleta overestimates newsroom resources in assuming that three Inquirer reporters were assigned solely to cover a rally billed as a “non-political” event. In reality, only one journalist was physically present while the others handled related assignments.

Second, he is mistaken in believing that his omission from the report was deliberate or motivated by partisan bias.

The simpler explanation is that what he said did not meet the threshold of newsworthiness.

To be fair, frustration is understandable. Many news sources spend considerable time explaining an issue only to see their remarks condensed into a single sentence or a brief soundbite. That is the nature of journalism.

But frustration does not justify sweeping accusations that undermine public trust in the press. Newsrooms are not obliged to quote every speaker or indulge a politician’s sense of self-importance.

Not Stenography

The Senate media covering the chamber condemned Marcoleta’s remark “in the strongest possible sense,” describing it as dangerous and irresponsible. They were right to do so.

Indeed, the June 4 hearing revealed that Marcoleta was not alone in misunderstanding the role of journalism. Cayetano waved a stack of newspapers before the cameras and questioned their editorial judgment after only one broadsheet carried a headline highlighting his claim to the Senate presidency.

The implication was clear: News coverage should have reflected his preferred narrative.

But journalism is not stenography. It does not merely transcribe statements or amplify political talking points. Its duty is to verify claims, provide context, and help the public understand events and issues.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines described Marcoleta’s tirades as “clear attempts to undermine the public's trust in the media.” By branding journalists as “bayaran,” he hands disinformation networks a ready-made narrative and reduces accountability reporting to a baseless smear.

As Senate reporters themselves pointed out, there is a vast difference between constructive criticism and wholesale vilification.

A Convenient Scapegoat

Journalists are not beyond criticism, nor are they immune from mistakes. Marcoleta and Cayetano have every right to call out ethical lapses, factual errors, or unfair reporting when they occur.

But it is an entirely different matter to accuse the entire press of bias or corruption simply because coverage fails to meet one's expectations.

News judgment is not governed by political ego. It is not a quid pro quo arrangement in which publicity is exchanged for access or cooperation. It is an exercise in professional discernment.

Consequently, political figures may be central to the news one day and peripheral the next. Sometimes they are omitted altogether because another issue carries greater significance or relevance to the public.

Editorial judgment is not personal.

What is personal—and harmful—is when public officials use the media as a convenient scapegoat whenever reporting does not align with their preferred narrative. Such attacks provide fresh ammunition for trolls, further erode public trust in legitimate journalism, and divert attention from issues that genuinely deserve national discussion.

Public officials who harbor grievances against the media should be responsible enough to present evidence instead of resorting to reckless rhetoric that poisons public trust in journalism.

If Marcoleta and Cayetano wish to make front-page news, they should spend less time attacking the press and more time advancing the public interest.

The danger of reckless attacks on the media extends far beyond the halls of the Senate. In communities across the country, journalists continue to perform the difficult task of informing the public despite limited resources, political pressure, and increasing hostility online. Public officials who casually dismiss reporters as “bayaran” do not merely insult journalists; they weaken one of the institutions that citizens rely upon to hold power accountable. A democracy cannot thrive where facts are treated as enemies and the messengers of those facts are routinely discredited.