WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2009

Pagkatapos
ng bagyo, sisikat
G 7
din ang araw

JOEY SALCEDA TESSIE SY-COSON SOC VILLEGAS

Albay Governor SM, Banco de Oro etc. Archbishop of Lingayen-
Dagupan, Pangasinan

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

What they’re saying
about us: The good,
the bad and the ugly
By Juan V. Sarmiento Jr. There is a need for privacy, even if one is a
public official. Not everything should be
(Editor’s Note: What do you like and open to the public.
what don’t you like about INQUIRER? We “It’s good that you focus on the issue and
posed the question to a number of not on the personality.”— SHALANI
“movers and shakers” in the country as SOLEDAD, Valenzuela City councilor
we mark our 24th anniversary today.) ***
‘It’s biased against the government.’
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, WHO WERE “To me, INQUIRER is quite biased and
expected to be critical of the newspaper, opinionated against the government, as if
surprisingly appreciated the importance of nothing the President does satisfies the
the role the newspaper plays. newspaper. There are times your editorial
A mayor, who has been accused of abetting writers feel they are better than anybody
summary executions in Mindanao, said he else in running the country.
understands why INQUIRER is critical of him “Sometimes, you over-sensationalize
because that is its mandate. Public officials the news, resulting in distortion of the
must take criticisms as part of the job and not truth. But there are times that the paper
be piqued by them, he added. puts things in the proper perspective.
The official also admires what he calls IN- You’ve been critical, and maybe your criti-
QUIRER’s “unwavering stand against evils in cisms are your way of acting as fiscalizer.
government,” like the excesses of public offi- We have to respect that because that’s
cials. press freedom. INQUIRER also offers good
Sensationalizing stories at times, headlines reading.—RAUL GONZALEZ, chief presi-
not supported by the body, quoting “reliable dential legal counsel
sources” or “sources who refuse to be named” ***
are among the things some of the movers and “I like Conrado de Quiros and all the edi-
shakers dislike about the newspaper. torials.”—SR. MARY JOHN MANANZAN,
A banker notes that INQUIRER is now better co-chair of the Association of Major Religious
than it was two years ago, since it is less sen- Superiors in the Philippines
sational and it comes out with human interest ***
stories that often do not see print in other pa- ‘Its news and editorials make many un-
pers. He likes the reporting of news without comfortable.’
fear or favor and the newspaper’s record in “What I don’t like about INQUIRER is also
investigative journalism. what I like.
For more of what they have to say, read on. “I like it because its news and editorial
*** writers are bold with their views, which
“I don’t like headlines or banners not sup- WHAT THEY’RE/ I2
ported by the body.
“I like the well-researched, well-analyzed
and well-articulated news. News that takes a
stand on its probable predicates and its
prospective consequence—almost advocated
news. Factual accuracy but risky an-
gles.”—JOEY SALCEDA, Albay governor and
presidential economic adviser
***
‘It reports news without fear or favor.’
“I like the independence, reporting of news
without fear or favor to any particular party.
The coverage is very extensive—investigative
journalism. The newspaper pursues critical
stories with a lot of energy. And of course I
like the quality of reporters.
“Those who dislike INQUIRER are those who
are the subject of negative reports. But if
you’re not doing anything wrong, you don’t
have to worry about it.
“The INQUIRER today is better than it was two
years ago. I have seen a change, and it’s not as
sensational. And it’s not only political news
that’s covered. There are human interest sto-
ries as well as articles about Filipino life that of-
tentimes do not see print in other newspapers.
Two years ago, the newspaper was masyadong
(too) sensational.”—PASCUAL GARCIA,
Philippine Savings Bank and Chamber of Thrift
Banks president
***
‘I like the What Went Before sidebars.’
“The brave exposure of facts as they are is
what I also like about INQUIRER.
“I like it that you present all sides of the sto-
ry, you don’t sugarcoat. When you present the
facts, you present it as it they are.
“I live in a household of INQUIRER readers
and we wouldn’t be buying the paper if we
don’t see that it gives out the facts.
“The INQUIRER’s reporting of the gruesome
massacre in Maguindanao is a good example
of how the paper fairly shows both sides of
the story.
“The only problem I have is one of supply. I
can’t find a copy of the paper anywhere, espe-
cially at night.
“I also really like your “What Went Before”
because it gives readers a brief history of what
actually happened so readers can understand
what the story is about.
“In my own experience with privacy issues,
I appreciate that INQUIRER understands that.