Media on economic woes
By Andie CanivelMedia rightly kept two developments on the agenda: the literal “gut issue” of food prices and the transportation crisis. As for agriculture and joblessness, media were quick to check government claims and the promises made by the President and concurrent Agriculture Secretary.
INFLATION, POVERTY, jobs, and transport — all key economic indicators whose true meaning can often be obscured by technical language and bureaucratic jargon. The public however has direct experience of the economic reality from day to day. It is important for them to understand the source or reason for their difficulties, the poor purchasing power of the pesos in their pockets. They should also know about the efforts of government to improve the quality of their lives.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. showed he was aware of the looming economic problems that the country now faces but his inaction spoke louder than his words. Despite a highly-praised economic team in his Cabinet, a clear strategic plan for recovery that will be felt by the people has yet to emerge.
Media rightly kept two developments on the agenda: the literal “gut issue” of food prices and the transportation crisis. As for agriculture and joblessness, media were quick to check government claims and the promises made by the President and concurrent Agriculture Secretary.
Accessible reportage, holding officials accountable
Moving forward, newsrooms need to sustain coverage of the economy in a way that consumers and ordinary people will appreciate the realities that confront them. The global economic outlook for 2023 calls for more accessible reporting to help the public understand economic consequences of world developments that affect local communities.
Journalists should provide news that show up the failure of campaign promises and track the pledges that public officials make once elected. Reports should be able to recall what officials claimed they would do and when they fail to deliver. Citizens must value the power to hold government officials accountable to the leaders who asked for their votes.
Economic news should be made understandable to ordinary people.
Media must acquire the valuable skill to make economic news understandable to ordinary people who will soon again be going to the polls to vote.
Unfulfilled promises and disconnected policy
Shortly after elections in May, consumers felt the weight of food prices on their pockets. While the President’s campaign promise to make available rice at the price of PHP20 per kilogram remained unfulfilled.
CMFR cheered the media’s background on the promise made in May, noting conditions that would bar its fulfillment. The report cited experts in agriculture and economics who pointed out how out of touch this claim was. Any effort to bring down the price of rice would have to lower the farm gate price of unmilled palay. The target of PHP20 a kilo ignores the logistics of the supply chain.
Social media circulated negative reactions to Marcos’ self-appointment as Agriculture Secretary. Farmer associations and even Senators have called him to appoint a full time Secretary for this key agency. He responded claiming that as President, he alone could make reforms and changes faster. That was in June 2022, before the controversial decision to import sugar and the continuing questions about the high price of onions.
CMFR reviewed Marcos Jr.’s policy statements and other messages as Agriculture Secretary and pointed to the disconnect between his words and his actions. He said he would make agriculture a “top priority.” But so far, this additional Cabinet position has resulted in policy missteps, most notably the sugar importation fiasco.
Inflation, poverty, jobs: Explainers and checking government narratives
Inflation became a top concern for the public as food prices continued to skyrocket under the new administration. CMFR noted media’s quick move to check the President’s refusal to acknowledge the reality of soaring inflation in July. Marcos Jr.’s dismissal of inflation as “not that high” was widely reported. But one news account took a more detailed route by actually checking the credibility of the figures Marcos Jr. had dismissed.
In November, inflation continued to hog headlines. A PhilStar.com report used straightforward and accessible language, with a video explainer to discuss inflation.
Amidst the rising costs of basic goods, government tried to highlight positive notes.
In August, two accounts reviewed the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) figures on poverty. The pieces argued that poverty cannot be reduced to the PSA’s “unrealistic” presentation. Instead, the government should be more specific and consider other factors such as lower wages and inflation so as to present more completely the state of the economy.
The government also tried to put a positive spin on the employment situation, citing the decrease in unemployment in November. In the same month, an in-depth report on the jobless rate explained how the figures presented overlooked the reality of underemployment on the rise. The piece explained that while more were becoming employed, these were earning insufficient wages, leading many Filipinos to look for additional sources of income to provide for their needs.
Reviewing BBB and the transport crisis
With the change in leadership, media also examined what the previous government left behind specifically, Rodrigo Duterte’s flagship program, “Build, Build, Build (BBB).” In June and July, two stand-out accounts reviewed the BBB in the context of the transport crisis, pointing out how such infrastructure did not attend to the needs for public transport needed by more Filipinos without cars.
CMFR also noted reports on the transport crisis published or aired from July 11 to 15 that cited relevant and informative sources. Throughout the period, media sought insight from experts, transport and commuter groups who posed important questions and suggested possible solutions.
Accessible reportage, holding officials accountable
Moving forward, newsrooms need to sustain coverage of the economy in a way that consumers and ordinary people will appreciate the realities that confront them. The global economic outlook for 2023 calls for more accessible reporting to help the public understand economic consequences of world developments that affect local communities.
Journalists should provide news that show up the failure of campaign promises and track the pledges that public officials make once elected. Reports should be able to recall what officials claimed they would do and when they fail to deliver. Citizens must value the power to hold government officials accountable to the leaders who asked for their votes.
Economic news should be made understandable to ordinary people.
Media must acquire the valuable skill to make economic news understandable to ordinary people who will soon again be going to the polls to vote.