Here's A Good Lesson In Journalism, From A Report In SunStar Davao

Ominously, 17 September 2019, Reuel John F Lumawag comes out with a news item of 512 words, including title: "DA: Panama Disease-Hit Areas May Double" (SunStar Davao, sunstar.com.ph). Here is the 1st paragraph:

An official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Davao Region said areas affected by the Fusarium wilt, also known as the Panama disease, may double by this year.

That is emphasizing the bad news, literally.

Here is the 2nd paragraph:

Virgelio Gutierrez, a science research specialist of the DA-Davao Regional Crop Protection Center, said based on their latest survey, as of 2015, there are a total of 15,507 hectares (ha) of banana plantations in Davao Region that (has) been affected by Tropical Race 4 (TR4), a strain of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (FOC) that causes the Panama disease.

Mr Gutierrez says there are already a total of 15,507 ha affected by the TR4, the particular fungus that causes the Panama disease that kills banana plants, with no known cure yet; "may double this year" means 31,000 ha devastated. But that is "based on their latest survey, as of 2015." Their latest survey was 4 years ago!

Now, they are conducting still another survey, and "they expect the latest data to come out by October," which is next month. If the survey report has notcome out, why is Mr Gutierrez in a hurry to announce that the hectarage affected by the Panama disease may increase 2 times this year? That is bad technical reporting, also bad journalistic reporting. Because the increase may turn out to be 3 times, or 1.5 times, or negligible. Whatever. By your speculation, you are panicking people!

We have free speech, yes, but remember: "You are free to swing your arm short of my nose" – UP Law Dean Ricardo Pascual.

The littler image I pasted on the bigger one above suggests several windows to consider to come out with your news or views, including thinking of the many people affected by your journalism!

Mr Lumawag's report is notbalanced in any case. He is not reporting what I myself know, that already, there are hectares upon hectares of Cavendish banana in Davao that have been established with Cavendish banana strains that are resistant to Panama disease. (Read just the first of my series of essays on the topic, "Science & The End Of The Banana. Part 1, The GMO Solution" (23 October 2017, Gaia Con Gaia, gaiavsgaia.blogspot.com). Note that I covered all aspects, including the GMO option. I wrote a series on this one, up to "Science & The End Of The Banana. Part 4, What Are Our Top Bananas Doing?!" (15 November 2017, Gaia Con Gaia, gaiavsgaia.blogspot.com). Earlier, in Part 3, I reported that there are 22 varieties that have proven resistant to Panama disease. An aggie journalist should be cautiously creative, not consciously destructive. My report is quite positive in the midst of the negative developments.

A journalistic scoop at the expense of balanced reporting is at the expense of the people!@517