A more active media engagement in the 2010 presidential race could spell the difference between an informed vote and a populist one, media executives said in a public forum Tuesday.

Media has been criticized for playing to the spin and gimmickry of candidates who do not raise the level of the campaign. But the silver lining is that more and more media agencies are becoming more conscious about how to better serve the public.

Charie Villa, head of ABS-CBN's News Gathering, stressed the need to remind the public, “as early as now, that they should get into the voting process.”

Malou Mangahas, executive director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), pointed out that voters are “mostly young…with little or no consciousness of EDSA I, or the country’s political history.”

Recognizing the youth’s potential in effecting change, Villa cited ABS-CBN’s partnership with the group Youth Vote Philippines, adding that they will also utilize social networking sites such as Facebook and Multiply “to get them to participate.”

Yet, it does not follow that willingness to vote will result in a wiser vote.

Various factors such as “popularity, family, church or clan links, candidates’ promise of benefit to voters, party program and platform” affect the voters’ choice according to a study of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms, as cited by Mangahas.

To ensure that the youth vote will be an informed vote, and to complement campaigns for increased youth participation, Villa said leadership and everyday-hero shows shall also be created.

According to Villa, ABS-CBN shall relaunch its Bayan Mo, Patrol Mo (BMPM) to encourage more citizen participation in the coming elections. BMPM played a key role in the previous elections as it also became a key source of election stories, she said.

She said a team has been delegated to monitor and vet the user-generated content (UGC) sent through text messaging or email.

But, the bulk of the responsibility in shaping  voters’ choices still lies with the media, and on how it covers the elections— from the campaign to the voting process itself, and beyond. The media should treat the elections the way it should be.

Villa said it is high time to “revolutionize the way we treat the [electoral] process.”

Mangahas said media, rather than treating elections as a test of our institutions, cover the elections as a horse race, with the focus on who's leading in the surveys.

Furthermore, she said focusing on candidates, not on platforms or issues, results in neglect of other equally important stories. Poor reporting on the background of candidates is also one of many lapses of the media in its election coverage, which should be addressed.

The media should be well aware of the “personal background, performance, property, platform, political party of candidates” so as to provide voters informed choices and to help the latter cast wise votes, Mangahas said.

Because at the end of the day, “the voter is the boss,” she added. 

Tuesday’s forum is part of a three-day event organized by the Philippine Press Institute. -- Riziel Cabreros, Newsbreak intern