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Audiences bade a sad goodbye this week to the programs, journalists and staff of CNN Philippines. But sadness has turned into fury with the sudden take-down of the news channel’s website and social media accounts.
As some have put it, it is as if CNN Philippines never existed.
Today, there’s no longer any trace of CNN reportage left, whether text or video. Links to CNN Philippines articles and videos, which had been considered credible, just went dead. For the heartbroken journalists and contributors, their work suddenly disappeared.
I woke up early on March 16, 2015 for the launch of CNN Philippines on March 16, 2015. For news junkies, it was a big deal and a welcome addition to the Philippine media landscape.
CNN Philippines journalists interviewed me many times on technology and political issues. I also always looked forward to joining Pia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan in studio interviews that sought to dig deeper on issues ranging from public mass transportation to the role of the internet in elections.
Those articles, reports and videos have also disappeared, as if they never happened.
We are not privy to the small print of the licensing agreement between Nine Media Network and CNN, but perhaps both could reconsider the complete and total takedown of the social media accounts and website. At the very least, CNN should allow a publicly-accessible archive of CNN Philippines, as an expression of respect to the journalists, producers, staff and contributors who toiled for nine years, and also to the public today and in the future. Those archives, including official debates and interviews with high government officials, are arguably part of the journalistic and historical record of the Philippines.
CNN and its former licensee could still agree to donate the complete text, audio and video archives of CNN Philippines to the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication, or some other Philippine university that could be ready and willing to host them. People are not asking much, except access to those archives.
Of course, people are also on the look out for the promised severance packages for the estimated 300 journalists and staff who have suddenly lost their jobs with the shutdown of CNN Philippines.
SkyCable also announced this week the end of its cable services scheduled for Feb. 26, leaving ABS-CBN News Channel rather “homeless.”
ABS-CBN has since assured loyal viewers that ANC would continue operations and be available in about 200 cable providers nationwide, aside from the iWantTFC app and The Filipino Channel overseas.
The shutdown of CNN Philippines and the fate of ANC have led many to express concerns about prospects for English-language television news reporting in the country.
I agree with many of those concerns, whether about business models for journalism or about limited career options and shrinking spaces for journalists seeking to enter the profession. Perhaps the remaining television networks could help fill the void, by resuming English-language news and current affairs programs, even as they keep focus on Filipino and other Philippine languages.
Digital television’s multi-channel capacity per allotted frequency could also potentially give the space needed by 24/7 news channels. The next challenge though is obtaining the funding and financing for the hiring and salaries for journalists, staff and programs.
There’s one potentially game-changing solution to the lack of free-to-access 24/7 news channels in the country: Public broadcasting. Taxpayers and the public could press government to adopt the idea of public broadcasting, along the lines of BBC of the UK, NHK of Japan, CBC of Canada, ABC of Australia, and NPR and PBS of the US.
This would be a difficult campaign, but not impossible to achieve. It would mean the near-total reorientation of PTV and all government-run television and radio stations that are perceived today as entirely pro-government into broadcasters that are publicly-funded but independent, autonomous and free from government’s editorial control. It would take a lot of effort to persuade the President and Congress, but it would be worth it.
Whether promoting press freedom, encouraging students to take up journalism, broadcasting and related creative arts as careers, providing local programming especially in Philippine languages, or allowing journalists and broadcasters full and free rein on reporting and producing programs, there’s a whole lot of positives to public broadcasting.
Such a truly-independent public broadcaster could compete with commercial TV and radio networks in terms of quality news, current affairs, and entertainment programming.
Perhaps we could see the birth of Philippine public broadcasting in our lifetime, but only if we fight, campaign and advocate for it.