Front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. AP FILE PHOTO
DAVAO CITY鈥擫eading presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday morning hit the media for sensationalism and for being biased.
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During his interview at the late-night show of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, Duterte cited the importance of truthful聽 reporting and lamented how some media units picked-up聽 鈥済arbage鈥� news thrown at him without verifying.
鈥淚t was really wrong for them to adapt, it鈥檚 not even a yellow journalism, it鈥檚 [garbage]. They could have checked, they could have checked. That is the moral responsibility of publishers of newspapers. You have to check. Do not print garbage that are given to you for the sake of sensationalism,鈥� Duterte said.
He also hit a television network for supposedly slanting its news聽 against him and even allowing the airing of a negative television ad against him.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why they have to do it na ganun (that way). They would not complete your story, 鈥榩ag ganun (if it鈥檚 like that), i-cut tapos yung ipalabas [di kumpleto], di naman niya sabihin na I was relating to something (they cut it and they released it incompletely, they don鈥檛 even say whether I was relating to something),鈥� Duterte said.
鈥淭hey might pretend to take the moral stand but they don鈥檛,鈥� he added.
The tough-talking mayor said some media groups 鈥減retend to be the moral torch of the country.鈥�
Asked about the state of press freedom during his administration, he said 鈥渋t will be expanded.鈥�
But he aired his lamentations on some members of the media.
鈥淢y lamentation is that some people are abusive of their right. Para bang wala nang limit sa kanila (it鈥檚 as if they have to limitations) to destroy just because it is election time. Kung gusto nila ganun okay lang yun (If they want it that way, then that鈥檚 okay) but I would like to remind them that it is not good,鈥� Duterte said. CDG/rga