Young Roots
Of Mary Jane and Journ
By Johanne Macob
NOW that, Mary Jane Veloso, who was earlier sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug smuggling, was saved from execution last Wednesday by virtue of a reprieve, along with the happiness expressed by many were the flood of criticisms directed towards some national newspapers.
“Nakuryente.” This was just one of the comments I’ve read online pertaining to newspapers’ headlines on Mary Jane’s story. One of the most criticized was Inquirer with its headline, “Death came before dawn.”
Enough said. Or maybe not…
Just last week, I was given the privilege to speak before agricultural extension workers about news writing and feature writing. While I don’t consider myself an expert in these topics, I have at least familiarized myself with the basics. On news writing, the word ‘new’ implies it has to be new, of a recent event, except for few and certain instances where an ‘old’ angle is possible. As a general rule, news should not be “spoiled.” What I forgot to stress further is, – news shall not be assumed. Because again, the most basic of the basics: news shall be based solely on facts.
Mary Jane’s story goes beyond giving us lessons in our battle against illegal drugs or unemployment in the country. Unexpectedly, it has reminded us, journalists, of our major responsibility to be responsible. We report on what happened and what is happening, and not what hasn’t happened, only because we expected it to happen. Our responsibilty is to inform people, not to misinform. The erroneous headline of one of the most respected national dailies has indeed violated these basic rules in news reporting. As a journalist, myself, and as a news consumer, it was disappointing, despite the offered problem of time constraints. Clearly, it was a mistake to presume the facts.
However, I cannot condone overly critical statements by uber-harsh readers. I don’t think any of the newspapers’ editors and reporters deserved to be called idiot or stupid. One mistake cannot define the full make-up of a newspaper. What happened to all the other times when information from these papers have been very helpful? What happened to respect? What happened to civility? Besides, an acceptance of shortcoming and an apology has been issued.
Let’s not be hasty in judging others. I’m sure everyone wouldn’t like to be defined by just one mistake.
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