The sad plight of journalists

What happened to fellow journalist and highly respect broadcast personality Cheche Lazaro is most unfortunate.

She was just doing her job. Unfortunately, the prosecutor’s office found probable cause to indict her but that of course is up for the courts to finally determine.

I read Republic Act no. 4200 or what is commonly known as the Anti-Wire Tapping Law very carefully to find any loophole that would excuse her action of recording her telephone recording conversation with GSIS vice president Ella Valencerina allegedly without the latter’s permission.

But the law, approved in 1965, was very straightforward. And there seems to be nothing that could help the cause of crusading broadcast journalists like Cheche. However noble one’s reasons are, these do not constitute a defense. And no matter how much some people hate Valencerina for getting back at a journalist who was just airing the plight of underpaid public school teachers, the law is the law. Dura lex, sed lex. The law may be harsh, but it is still the law.

It said: “it shall be unlawful for any person, not being authorized by all the parties to any private communication or spoken word, to tap any wire or cable, or by using any other device or arrangement, to secretly overhear, intercept or record such communication or spoken word...”

The law likewise penalized anyone who knowingly possesses such recording, or replays the same for any other person, or to communicate the contents thereof.

The only exceptions provided for are if such unauthorized recordings are to be used as evidence in the trial of cases enumerated under the law (otherwise, they are inadmissible as evidence), or if any peace officer makes the wire/cable tapping or recording with court authorization. Most of the offenses mentioned under RA 4200 are crimes against national security and public order, except for kidnapping.

Unless the law is amended, broadcast journalists may just have to work under this sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. Unlike print journalists, their TV and radio counterparts have to capture everything on their video cameras or their recorders to be able to air the interviews. But they cannot, under the present form of the legislation, record telephone conversations without being granted permission by all the parties to the said conversation.

But before our legislators take a look at the Anti-Wire Tapping Law, they may want to speed up action on proposals to decriminalize libel. Our judiciary cannot legislate. That is why the only thing that our Supreme Court could do was to encourage judges to impose fines, rather than mete out the penalty of imprisonment, against journalists found to have committed libel. It is therefore up to Congress to amend the law, which while intended to safeguard against the abuse of this constitutionality guaranteed right to press freedom and protect the rights especially of private individuals, has become a tool to harass media. After all, victims of libel still have their victory by being able to claim damages from underpaid members of the press.

Chikka expands services

Chikka Asia, owners of the popular Internet gateway to texting mobile phones, is now offering advertising opportunities and marketing solutions in the Chikka Messenger client and its web-based version, found in Chikka.com in a bid to tap into the fast growing online advertising industry.

Company CEO Chito Bustamante explains that while their business was founded on a purely mobile revenue model and that strong revenue flows from the use of Chikka services via SMS has allowed the company to thrive as a dotcom, grow and diversify, in the process, they built a large online community and it’s difficult to ignore the millions of impressions they are now generating through millions of log-ins monthly to Chikka today.

Chikka introduced in 2001, a downloadable instant messenger with patented features allowing seamless two-way communication with mobile phones over network operators’ SMS networks.

The company’s revenues have erstwhile been derived from mobile transactions. Meanwhile, free text messaging is enjoyed by online buddies, majority of which are based outside the Philippines in countries like the US, Canada, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. More than 40 percent of those online are in the Philippines.

Bustamante adds that they have built an online community around a free and reliable text messaging service and that they add about 10 million new members every year who would register via PC or mobile. He says many of their mobile subscribers find Chikka’s Internet-based application to be an indispensable extension of their mobile phones.

The upside in online media is vast. Over the past decade, online advertising has been the fastest growing segment in the global advertising industry. An online ad spend forecast released by ZenithOptimedia in 2008 anticipates online ad spending to surpass radio this year and magazine advertising in 2010. In Southeast Asia , the online advertising industry is expected to grow more than 60 percent in 2010.

According to the results of a joint study by Yahoo! and research firm Nielsen in December 2008, online display advertising spend in the Philippines is expected to be at least $15 million in 2010.

Chikka’s CEO adds that while online advertising in the Philippines is relatively new, it is definitely an exciting time to be in the industry, as more and more brand marketers realize opportunities and great potential in online media — to improve reach and make a greater impact when incorporated in media plans for performance and brand campaigns emphasized.

Chikka owns one of the largest online communities by any Filipino brand around the world. Millions of online subscribers rely on Chikka Text Messenger to connect them with mobile friends. These users generate over 25 million page views each month from use of both the download client and the new web-based Chikka.com.

From the readers

“How is the financial health of the Dream Satellite? On May 1. we lost a number of channels, HBO, Cinemax, ESPN, Star Sports, among others. There is no more sports channel, only one and a half film channel. Are they about to close down?” – Name withheld upon request

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