Espina: Two-sided depiction will sow confusion, disinformation

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

After the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R) recently broadcast a series of videos on the administration of former President Ferdinand Marcos, with 15 offering a positive spin and another 15 depicting the opposite, the local National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) chapter said they were “appalled.”

“UNO-R itself has ample material about that dark chapter in our history without resorting to showing, without context, ‘as is’ videos from sources that have not been vetted,” NUJP-Bacolod Chairperson Marchel Espina said, referring to the videos depicting the era in a positive light.

She added, it is important for journalists to “call out lies.”

“Far from educating, this disgraceful exercise is more likely to sow confusion and disinformation,” Espina asserted.

The NUJP official went on to list events that occurred in Negros Occidental during the Marcos administration, including the Escalante Massacre, Langoni Nine Massacre, persecution of the Negros Nine, rape of the sugar industry, Joel Abong, and Batang Negros.

“UNO-R should immediately rectify this unfortunate situation,” she stated./DGB, WDJ