MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker, who used to be a journalist, is urging Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar to dismiss from their posts the editors of the state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) “for proving themselves unfit for the job of disseminating reliable news to the public. ”
“Communications Secretary Martin Andanar should fire the editors responsible for the erroneous news posted by the PNA if only to serve notice that this pattern of embarrassment is not tolerated,” Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, former reporter of Malaya newspaper, said in a statement issued Monday.
Evardone made the pronouncement after the PNA issued an erratum last August 11 for using the logo of food firm Dole Philippines instead of that of the Department of Labor and Employment for a story about the latter’s pay rules for the 2018 holidays, which was posted the same day.
The PNA management apologized for what it called “a careless act of the PNA editorial staff” with an assurance that steps had already been taken to guard against similar mistakes in the future.
The government’s news website also drew flak for posting the China government-run Xinhua News Agency’s opinion piece against the arbitration ruling on the West Philippine Sea and a story titled “95 nations in 3rd UPR convinced no EJKs in PHL” as well as for using a Vietnam War photo with a story on the armed conflict in Marawi City.
“Bear in mind that PNA, being the government’s news website, should provide accurate information to the public. Whatever it posts reflects on the government,” Evardone said.