GMA 'off the record' at the Inquirer
GMA 'off the record' at the Inquirer
Updated 11:10pm (Mla time) Nov 28, 2004
By Neal Cruz
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the November 29, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
AFTER ARRIVING Friday morning from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, then going to the typhoon-ravaged provinces in the Bicol Region, and receiving Angelito Nayan at Malacañang, President Macapagal-Arroyo still managed to go to the Inquirer offices in Makati the same evening for a late dinner with the newspaper's senior editors, executives, columnists and reporters. She stayed for three hours, chatting until 1 a.m.
Alas, most of what she said was "off the record," so we can't report the more interesting part of her talkathon.
"When I start sipping wine, what I say is usually off the record," the President said. Since she started sipping red wine quite early, you can imagine how much of what she said you are going to miss. Whenever somebody started scribbling, the President would call him or her by name and say "off the record." What she said "on the record," you've already read in the three front-page stories written by Malacañang reporter Juliet Labog-Javellana and in the column of Belinda Olivares-Cunanan in Saturday's Inquirer.
"Off the record" interviews are very useful to journalists as background information. Because of them, journalists get a fuller understanding of facts and information when they write other stories later on. So even if nothing is written about these "off the record" sessions, they are not wasted.
Another benefit of "off the record" interviews is that the subject becomes more frank, less guarded and less inhibited. When a subject is speaking "on the record," he thinks twice before opening his mouth, and he chooses his words carefully lest he gets to say the wrong thing or gets to be misunderstood. Even so, subjects sometimes do say the wrong things or are misunderstood and have to issue denials or statements clarifying what they had said earlier-as what happened to presidential son Rep. Mikey Arroyo two days ago on his statement supporting a bill legalizing marijuana.
But when it is understood that what he is going to say is "off the record," a subject can blurt out confidential information, even secrets, and he can be sure that these secrets will stay as such.
It is during these sessions that the discerning journalist gets an insight into the character of his subject and understands him and what he says better and in the right context.
The image of public figures is usually impressed on the public by the glare of media. Sometimes, this image is false, often the result of expert manipulation by their publicity handlers. The words, the speeches they utter are not theirs but those of ghost writers. Sometimes, even the ideas are not theirs but those of many advisers, writers and spin masters.
This falsity and manipulation continue in press conferences and interviews. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the real person from the artificial public figure.
Even "authorized" biographies are sometimes manipulated. Since the biography is "authorized" by the subject, you can be sure that what the biographer writes is what the subject wants the public to read about him-and naturally, that is what is complimentary to him. Not so with "unauthorized" biographies that are hated by their subjects, some of whom even try to stop their publication. Examples are the "unauthorized" biographies of celebrities written by Kitty Kelley, the latest of which is on the Bush family. The public image of the family of the two American presidents is very different from the Bush family that Ms Kelley wrote about.
But back to President Arroyo and her "off the record" chat with the Inquirer, I have revised some of my impressions of her because of that chat. Contrary to my earlier impression that she is overdoing her handshaking routine in the provinces in a desperate effort to remain popular, I think she has now accepted the fact that she cannot make everybody happy. She has now resigned herself to being unpopular.
In emphasizing that she would push her unpopular tax measures through Congress, she blurted out, "I'm already unpopular anyway."
However, she does not want to be unpopular with the members of Congress because they may block her tax measures. She was very evasive when asked about the restoration of the pork barrel in full by the congressmen. It may be recalled that she had earlier asked them to cut it by 40 percent.
I also got the impression that she is a cockeyed optimist. She is confident that Congress will pass four tax measures before year-end, that these measures will yield an additional P80 billion in taxes, and that the pork barrel will stay cut. Does she really have that much faith in our legislators, or was she just pretending?
But how determined is she? She seems to be very strong-willed, as if she can do anything through sheer will power.
* * *
Winners in this year's NVM Gonzalez Awards for the Short Story category will get their prizes at ceremonies to be held starting 4 p.m. tomorrow at the Executive House, University of the Philippines, Diliman campus, Quezon City.
First prize winner is Angelo R. Lacuesta for his short story "Rest Stop."
Second prize winner is Arvin Aejo Magohig for "Megastar."
Third prize goes to U.Z. Eliserio for "The Proper Use of Elbows."
Another story by Lacuesta, "Leather," was also a finalist.
* * *
Also tomorrow is the reunion of the alumni of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (Philets) and Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) of the University of Sto. Tomas at the Manila Hotel starting at 7 p.m.
* * *
No Kapihan sa Manila at the Manila Hotel this morning to allow people to enjoy the holiday.
Updated 11:10pm (Mla time) Nov 28, 2004
By Neal Cruz
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the November 29, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
AFTER ARRIVING Friday morning from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, then going to the typhoon-ravaged provinces in the Bicol Region, and receiving Angelito Nayan at Malacañang, President Macapagal-Arroyo still managed to go to the Inquirer offices in Makati the same evening for a late dinner with the newspaper's senior editors, executives, columnists and reporters. She stayed for three hours, chatting until 1 a.m.
Alas, most of what she said was "off the record," so we can't report the more interesting part of her talkathon.
"When I start sipping wine, what I say is usually off the record," the President said. Since she started sipping red wine quite early, you can imagine how much of what she said you are going to miss. Whenever somebody started scribbling, the President would call him or her by name and say "off the record." What she said "on the record," you've already read in the three front-page stories written by Malacañang reporter Juliet Labog-Javellana and in the column of Belinda Olivares-Cunanan in Saturday's Inquirer.
"Off the record" interviews are very useful to journalists as background information. Because of them, journalists get a fuller understanding of facts and information when they write other stories later on. So even if nothing is written about these "off the record" sessions, they are not wasted.
Another benefit of "off the record" interviews is that the subject becomes more frank, less guarded and less inhibited. When a subject is speaking "on the record," he thinks twice before opening his mouth, and he chooses his words carefully lest he gets to say the wrong thing or gets to be misunderstood. Even so, subjects sometimes do say the wrong things or are misunderstood and have to issue denials or statements clarifying what they had said earlier-as what happened to presidential son Rep. Mikey Arroyo two days ago on his statement supporting a bill legalizing marijuana.
But when it is understood that what he is going to say is "off the record," a subject can blurt out confidential information, even secrets, and he can be sure that these secrets will stay as such.
It is during these sessions that the discerning journalist gets an insight into the character of his subject and understands him and what he says better and in the right context.
The image of public figures is usually impressed on the public by the glare of media. Sometimes, this image is false, often the result of expert manipulation by their publicity handlers. The words, the speeches they utter are not theirs but those of ghost writers. Sometimes, even the ideas are not theirs but those of many advisers, writers and spin masters.
This falsity and manipulation continue in press conferences and interviews. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the real person from the artificial public figure.
Even "authorized" biographies are sometimes manipulated. Since the biography is "authorized" by the subject, you can be sure that what the biographer writes is what the subject wants the public to read about him-and naturally, that is what is complimentary to him. Not so with "unauthorized" biographies that are hated by their subjects, some of whom even try to stop their publication. Examples are the "unauthorized" biographies of celebrities written by Kitty Kelley, the latest of which is on the Bush family. The public image of the family of the two American presidents is very different from the Bush family that Ms Kelley wrote about.
But back to President Arroyo and her "off the record" chat with the Inquirer, I have revised some of my impressions of her because of that chat. Contrary to my earlier impression that she is overdoing her handshaking routine in the provinces in a desperate effort to remain popular, I think she has now accepted the fact that she cannot make everybody happy. She has now resigned herself to being unpopular.
In emphasizing that she would push her unpopular tax measures through Congress, she blurted out, "I'm already unpopular anyway."
However, she does not want to be unpopular with the members of Congress because they may block her tax measures. She was very evasive when asked about the restoration of the pork barrel in full by the congressmen. It may be recalled that she had earlier asked them to cut it by 40 percent.
I also got the impression that she is a cockeyed optimist. She is confident that Congress will pass four tax measures before year-end, that these measures will yield an additional P80 billion in taxes, and that the pork barrel will stay cut. Does she really have that much faith in our legislators, or was she just pretending?
But how determined is she? She seems to be very strong-willed, as if she can do anything through sheer will power.
* * *
Winners in this year's NVM Gonzalez Awards for the Short Story category will get their prizes at ceremonies to be held starting 4 p.m. tomorrow at the Executive House, University of the Philippines, Diliman campus, Quezon City.
First prize winner is Angelo R. Lacuesta for his short story "Rest Stop."
Second prize winner is Arvin Aejo Magohig for "Megastar."
Third prize goes to U.Z. Eliserio for "The Proper Use of Elbows."
Another story by Lacuesta, "Leather," was also a finalist.
* * *
Also tomorrow is the reunion of the alumni of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (Philets) and Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) of the University of Sto. Tomas at the Manila Hotel starting at 7 p.m.
* * *
No Kapihan sa Manila at the Manila Hotel this morning to allow people to enjoy the holiday.
posted by Dante at 12:00 AM
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