Pagsuspendi ng MTRCB sa shows ng SMNI indikasyon na mayroong paglabag sa journalistic, media standards, aniya

PABOR si dating Sen. Leila de Lima sa desisyon ng Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) na suspendihin ang mga show nina dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte at Lorraine Badoy na umeere sa Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) dahil sa paglabag sa “journalistic and media standards.”

“MTRCB’s suspension of Duterte’s and Badoy’s shows is not for future speech, but for past flagrant violations of journalistic and media standards, hence, not prior restraint. Government can’t be made powerless to penalize consummated violations in order to preclude recidivist and unapologetic repetition of illegal conduct on air,” ani De Lima.

“Otherwise, violations will just be committed again and again without any possibility for accountability of fake news peddlers like SMNI and its fake news shows,” dagdag pa nito.

Tinuligsa rin ni De Lima ang SMNI na inilarawan nito bilang isang “blatant propaganda media arm that pioneers on fake news dissemination.”

“In the first place, SMNI cannot be expected to practice broadcast and journalistic ethical standards simply because SMNI media personalities are not even considered journalists or broadcasters by mainstream media,” sabi pa ni de Lima, isang dating kalihim ng Department of Justice.

“They are not career professionals in the field of broadcast journalism recognized by peers,” dagdag pa nito.

Sinabi ni De Lima na magkaiba ang free speech sa pagpapakalat ng maling impormasyon at pag-uudyok sa mga tao na gumawa ng krimen.

“Even free speech is qualified by the clear and present danger test as an exception to the constitutional proscription against prior restraint. What more for fake news and threats of criminal harm shamelessly regurgitated from the mouths of people who are not even professional broadcast journalists, like Duterte and Badoy,” wika pa ng dating senador.

“Prior restraint principles do not apply to these new ‘media’ establishments that are not bound by and do not observe broadcast journalism ethics and standards,” punto nito.

Sinabi ni De Lima na ang naging aksyon ng MTRCB ay hindi dahil sa maaari nitong magawa kundi dahil sa mga nagawa na nito.

“Upon closer look, the suspension is action taken by the MTRCB on past, not future, speech made by Duterte threatening Congw. France Castro with premeditated murder and SMNI host Celiz reporting malicious speculation on the cost of Speaker Romualdez’s foreign travels in Badoy’s show,” paliwanag ni De Lima.

“That Duterte issued the grave threat and that Celiz quoted fictitious figures from an unknown source without any verification or authenticating documents whatsoever are not in question,” dagdag pa nito.

Pagpapatuloy ni De Lima, “SMNI is not ABS-CBN, GMA or TV5.”

“As stated, even mainstream media do not consider SMNI personalities as journalists or broadcasters because they have no record or careers as being such. They are propagandists and PR people with no idea of and are not limited in their trade by the ethical standards of broadcast journalism,” dagdag pa nito.