It doesn’t need to be said, but a cardinal rule that every journalist obeys is always endeavor to get the facts right.
This is a rule that Florence Hibionada of The News Today violates almost everyday.
That’s because she’s more of a writer of fiction and propaganda than being a true-blooded journalist.
She writes what passes for legitimate news stories as disguise for her real vocation — being a propangandist for politicians and other clients.
Well, she got burned last week when she recklessly invented facts and figures about a World War II veteran who was among those who queued up at the Iloilo provincial capitol to file claims for U.S. government benefits under the stimulus package of President Barack Obama.
As she usually does, Hibionada tries to weave stories without regard to her accuracy and objectivity. She also does a good job of murdering the English language in the process. She has been doing this countless times in writing stories about Governor Niel Tupas. But we’ve just ignored her transgressions.
This time, however, her story reached the attention of a grand daughter of the World War II veteran who immediately phoned the editorial office of The News Today to complain about the inaccuracies in the report. The News Today was forced to write a “mea culpa”, as could be found in the link below:
<http://www.thenewstoday.info/2009/02/27/tnt.apologizes.for.data.mix.up.html>
Well, if only all the people who register their protests about the inaccuracies and fiction-writing of Florence Hibionada, then The News Today would have to allocate a regular section in its pages for such “mea culpas”. I am certain it would be as frequent as the number of stories written by Hibionada.
7 Comments
March 2, 2009 at 11:50 am
There are lots of good writers and journalists from Iloilo. This Hibionada is a disgrace. This person is a dishonor on media practice. She has no right calling herself a journalist. What a SHAME!!!
March 4, 2009 at 7:12 am
Shame, indeed. I’m wondering why The News Today insists on keeping her as a reporter. She spends more time soliciting clients and counting her collections than trying to get her facts right. Nowadays, I’m sure she’s quite busy, because a client, Estancia municipal mayor Boy Mosqueda, is involved in a big controversy.
March 6, 2009 at 8:47 am
my family is a victim of hibionada’s careless reporting. my father almost had a heart attack when he read her report about my brother involved in a controversy. she is not a fair reporter. she interviewed my brother and even his assistant but she twisted their answers in her report. my mother said people who write like her have big personal problems. my cousin said hibionada does not even know how to write good reports. she uses words such as always and maybe she doesnt really know what that means. we heard that she works with politicians thats why she feels she is sikat. for my family she is mangu.
March 6, 2009 at 8:48 am
we dont like her. we dont read the news today anymore.
October 11, 2009 at 4:24 am
i heard his hibionada is also testifying in andrea gorriceta-charlene belvis’ case, she being on the accused’s side. hmmmm….
October 11, 2009 at 2:14 pm
i am not surprised. she’s on the side of money. was she there in the first place?
October 19, 2009 at 11:14 pm
wala ni pulos nga bayi kag tawo. doesn’t even know what honor means. even the woman closest to her once said, “Ilog kay T____ ya.” You fill in the blank.