Briones, Allan Yves G.

2012-40035
During the first week of December, which was also the deadline for my J02 final paper
under Maam Reyes, I was pushed to break confidentiality. I not only named my source in my
news article, but also quoted him several times regarding the iRehistro Project managed by the
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
For my paper, I was tasked to cover any story from my assigned beat: DFA. I chose then
to report on iRehistro which started during the November and ended the following month. I
contacted the necessary people so that I may schedule my interviews in advance. I did not have
trouble contacting Atty. Mark Dapat from the COMELEC but my supposed interview with the
Overseas Voting Secretariat (OVS) Rafael Seguis from the DFA was cancelled on the very day.
They offered me a chance to interview Ed Castro, vice-chairman to the OVS, who asked that he
not be quoted but merely used for background. Due to my desperate need for interviews, I agreed
to the condition which I broke soon after.
The SPJs Code of Ethics one must consider sources motives before promising
anonymity. Reserve anonymity for sources who may face danger, retribution, or other harm, and
have information that cannot be obtained elsewhere. In this regard at least, I have remained
ethical. I found no cause to allow him anonymity since his position as a public official makes it
his responsibility to answer for the programs of his department. He also possessed information
that he alone could deliver as a spokesperson for the DFA. But the fact remains that I agreed to
give him confidentiality based on a verbal agreement.
According to the Journalists Code of Ethics, I should not have violated confidential
information on material given me in the exercise of my calling. During the time I was writing
my article, I attempted to justify my actions by pinning the fault on the department. I was
promised an interview for the fulfillment of a requirement but they reneged on it, forcing me to
desperate measures. However, the KBP Code states that one should not let personal motives or
interests influence the performance of his/her duties.
Kants Categorical Imperative also stresses that we should act only on a maxim that you
can at the same time will to become universal law. The relationship between a journalist and
his/her source is an important one and must be kept strong built on the foundation of trust. I
broke the trust between me and Mr. Castro and I might have placed him under unnecessary harm
which may arise from the department: temporary suspension or permanent firing.
There are several possible courses of action I couldve taken, but I am pretty sure I chose
the one which is the most balanced. First, I couldve simply used the information for background
and avoided to quote him at all. This may seem the most ethical but this will come at the cost of
me failing my 102 class since my article will not stand without an interviewee from DFA.
Another would be finding another source, which I partly did since I also got interviews
from COMELEC which I found to be lacking in content. Finding another source from the DFA
would be an impossible feat, as Ed Castro was the only one available to be interviewed on that
day and I only had a mere two days left to accomplish the requirement.

I also couldve looked for another story which will not jeopardize my sources career but
the limited time allotted for me to finish the article was already almost used up and I found it to
be just as impossible as finding another source from the DFA.
So in the end, I consoled myself with the fact that the article was never published and I
got a 1.75 in my 102 class. I never understood the reason for why he vigorously pushed for
anonymity, but his position as a government official affords him limited rights in that aspect. The
article was also written in an unbiased manner which did not attack the DFA in any manner.