Election coverage goes high tech

MANILA, Philippines - Even for veteran news reporters, dealing with new things like automated polls is a challenge worth hurdling. The old ways just won’t do. You need to think fast, move fast.

And that’s exactly what GMA news reporters plan to do, after one year’s worth of training has given them working knowledge on the new technology, including possible election glitches along the way. They learned the process of casting votes through the PCOS machine and canvassing by heart.

They turned techie enough to know the wonders of 3D and 2D graphics, new gadgets and software.

That’s why the GMA News Team, headed by Jessica Soho describes Eleksyon 2010 team as “overbriefed.”

“We went to Comelec for a briefing on the electoral process,” Soho relates. “We had a briefing with the PPCRV or Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and Namfrel (National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections). We had seminars with Malou Mangahas of PCIJ (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism). We also consulted former Comelec Commissioner Rex Borra.”

Chino Gaston, a safety instructor for hostile environment training, was called in to help.

They learned to be wary of very close results since this could point to fraud. Jessica also instructed the reporters to be extra cautious about proclaiming a failure of elections. It could defuse a bomb that can explode right at the reporter’s face, if he’s not careful.

Care and prudence are on top of the list. New reporters may know the basics of covering an election story. But their very youth may make them too gung-ho, to the point of overlooking the dangers that go with the job (e.g. kidnapping or horrors — the Maguindanao massacre).

So Jessica asks her team, led by Grace dela Peña, news operations head for Eleksyon 2010 to field veteran reporters — they with the prudence of experience in hotspots like Marawi, Jolo, Iligan, Basilan and others.

Women libbers can rant and rave all they want. No way will the GMA news team field risk the bravest female reporter’s safety by assigning her to election hotspots.

“Mainit pa ang dugo ng mga bagong reporters,” observes Jessica. So she doesn’t send them to hotpots but to no-risk areas where the threat of kidnapping is the least of their worries. They just have to wait for years pounding on the beat to teach them how to smell danger a mile away and avoid it

Experience is still the best teacher. But that doesn’t give the veteran reporters a reason to take their safety for granted. GMA is arming them — and their newer counterparts — with bullet-proof vests with the word “media” printed on them and helmets. The network works closely with local police.

Those sent to remote islands or areas where electricity and hotels are unheard-off, are armed with generators, tents, water supply, portalets and first aid kits.

No stone is left untouched to make sure everything works according to plan.

“Last Friday,” Michelle Seva, overall program manager recalls, ”We held a roll call of the remote sites for the marathon coverage (5 a.m. of May 10 to 12 noon of May 11).”

She adds that the network has tied up with PLDT for a transmission link that can broadcast the results via satellite dishes.

 GMA is spending a fortune on the coverage alone.

“Multi-millions to be safe,” Jessica reveals. “If the network earned a lot from the political ads, it will also spend a lot for the election coverage.”

All points, she adds, have been covered. Stringers from Singapore, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and other countries with OFWs have been tapped. Even remote Spratly Islands has a GMA stringer, too.

“More than the high-tech equipment, however, our main strength in our coverage is our dedicated news and public affairs team, the quality of our stories and our commitment to impartial and objective reporting in the name of serbisyong totoo,” Marissa Flores, SVP for News and Public Affairs adds.

Thus, over 600 reporters to be deployed, and the correspondents will tap the power of digital newsgathering or using the Net for their coverage.

Sounds astounding? Yes. But for something as historic as the 2010 elections, it’s but right.