MANILA, Philippines — Is the network of the self-proclaimed “appointed son of God” airing BBC News footage without permission?
BBC News in Manila on Wednesday called out Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), the network owned by televangelist and suspected sex offender Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, for using its footage without permission and attribution.
In a Twitter post, BBC Philippine correspondent Howard Johnson posted a video of SMNI’s trailer containing the British broadcasting firm’s news footage on Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The footage was not attributed to BBC.
The trailer was shown during the debate among four presidential candidates held at Okada Manila hotel in Parañaque City on Tuesday night and aired live by SMNI.
At press time last night, SMNI had yet to respond to the Inquirer’s request for comment.
Among the issues discussed by candidates Ernesto Abella, Leody de Guzman, Norberto Gonzales, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. were China’s incursions in Philippine waters.
Taken in 2021
Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, is located 220 kilometers west of Zambales province, well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. It has been under China’s control since 2012.
In 2021, Johnson sailed to Scarborough together with BBC producer Virma Simonette Rivera and fishermen from Pangasinan province to document the exclusion of Filipinos from the resource-rich waters, their traditional fishing grounds. The footage was taken at that time.
In his post, Johnson translated the trailer’s text thus: “[SMNI] has a strong stand on what’s right. We will not betray the people. And we will not be exchanged for anything. Honest and not a thief.” (The original text reads: “May malakas na paninindigan sa tama. Hindi magtataksil sa bayan at hindi tayo ipagpapalit sa kahit na ano man. Hindi magnanakaw.”)
“Neither the BBC News team in Manila nor London was approached for permission to use the footage,” Johnson said in a statement sent to the media.
Code of ethics
He added: “As far as I can see, the footage of Scarborough Shoal, aired in July 2021 on BBC World News, is not available on the Getty website, a third-party site where news organizations can purchase BBC footage.”
According to the Code of Ethics of the Philippine Press Institute, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and the National Press Club, journalists must “resort only to fair and honest methods in [their] effort to obtain news, photographs and/or documents, and shall properly identify [themselves] as a representative of the press when obtaining any personal interview intended for publication.”
Journalists are also obliged to “not commit any act of plagiarism.”
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