Unlike most opinion writers and radio commentators who established their credibility as journalists first, Thinking Pinoy RJ Nieto seems to have leap-frogged and landed a spot as one of DWIZ Karambola’s radio commentators.
Not that this signifies that Nieto possesses any remarkable talent or rare gift of intellect. Talent and intellectual prowess are self evident gifts like genuine love and respect. Often, I find that people who resort to virtue signalling and less subtle acts of self-proclamation are really advertising what they lack.
Besides, I’ve seen my share of absolute knuckle heads and raving loons who found ways to get other people to pay for their airtime and production costs.
Like a hillbilly in Beverly Hills, Nieto still hasn’t fully grasped the implications of making the huge leap from being a blogger/social media personality to being a radio commentator/co-producer at DWIZ.
As a blogger/social media personality, Nieto could freely publish and broadcast anything he wanted to. As a radio commentator/co-producer, Nieto now has to deal with his radio station’s management and industry regulators such as the KBP.
Under Article 32 Section 2 of the KBP Broadcast Code, even radio station block timers and their on-air performers in the blocktime program are “jointly and severally liable with the station for any penalty that may be imposed for violations of the Code.”
Some may scoff at the KBP’s capability to enforce its standards and I wouldn’t blame them. But given how Rappler, Philippine Daily Inquirer, and perhaps soon ABS-CBN has fared, cleaving to KBP standards maybe their best defense against what some of Duterte’s detractors erroneously describe as attacks on media’s freedom.
Moreover, although Nieto may not be an employee of DWIZ and thus not subject to the station’s rules of professional conduct, he is still expected to behave ethically especially when using his online presence to criticize private individuals and government officials.
With that said, even as a self-proclaimed supporter of President Duterte and self-appointed critic of Duterte’s Presidential Communications Operations Office, Nieto is expected to be accurate and fair when it comes to calling out mistakes.
Why? Because any misbehavior Nieto does when he is off air will still weigh heavily on his continued association with Karambola and DWIZ.
In the previous post, I mentioned that Nieto called for the dismissal of PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar for failing to stop the ICC from acting on a crimes against humanity complaint against President Duterte. Nieto further said that this stemmed from Andanar’s failure to coordinate and work with the Department of Foreign Affairs to roll out a public relations campaign to counter the negative perception of President Duterte in Europe.
Nieto’s accusations against Andanar were unfair and untrue.
First of all, it is not the PCOO’s job to deal with the ICC.
Secondly, public relations cannot stop people from filing complaints.
I asked a good friend who is an Oxbridge trained international lawyer whether a public relations campaign could have stopped an ICC complaint and this is what he said, “No. Any idiot can file an unsubstantiated claim in any court just to get attention. No rule, law, or PR campaign can stop that. That the case will likely be dismissed is beside the point. Apparently there are just enough idiots that are very willing to prove that dictum true.”
I asked UN Ambassador to the United Nations Teddy Boy Locsin the same question on Twitter and he said, “No. Those fucking dirty cops should have been EJKed as well and then the world would see the Philippine justice system as not only working hence exclusive of ICC jurisdiction but balanced; hence tasteful. EJK works if it is wholistic: all crap, in uniform and sando, wiped away.”
Thirdly, the PCOO and DFA coordinated communication efforts before, during, and after the ICC complaint was filed.
With one international lawyer and our ambassador to the UN saying that RJ Nieto’s criticism is unfounded, unfair, and untrue as well as communications between the PCOO and DFA showing they coordinated on the ICC, the honest and decent thing for RJ Nieto to do is to admit his shortcomings and apologize to Secretary Martin Andanar.
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