Due to the pervasive spread of misinformation and disinformation nowadays, I have developed the habit of looking at the source of the news articles I am reading. I can’t help but find myself pondering the extent to which the reports I read, hear, and see genuinely convey the truth. While I attempt to dismiss such skepticism, I am compelled to question: if not the journalists, then who else can be relied upon to disseminate the truth?
Journalists have always followed the established standards of reportage to ensure that the information they report is factual, impartial, and truthful. As the primary conveyors of information, I never expected that something as seemingly trivial as an “envelope” could drive a journalist to defy all ethical principles they have long upheld and choose to be swayed by external influences they once swore to denounce.
On August 21, 2025, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto called out the blatant endorsement of two prominent journalists, Korina Sanchez and Julius Babao, towards the Discaya family displaying their luxuries for a “lifestyle” story. Sanchez’s team responded with an “unofficial statement” that proved they were paid an amount of money for the content, but later deleted it as they posted another as an “official” statement—eradicating the part where they admitted the presence of monetary compensation. This alone proved the presence of envelope journalism in the Philippines.
Envelope journalism, as defined by Crispin Fernandez from the Philippine Daily Mirror, is an act when journalists accept envelopes from public officials containing benefits, incentives, and favors—mostly of monetary value. This quid-pro-quo practice undermines journalistic integrity by prioritizing personal gain over the sworn duty of fair reportage, directly destroying public trust and violating the Philippine Journalist’s Code of Ethics of 1988. From local government workers to national public officials, we see featured names with the publicized acts of being helpful, modest, and responsive outside their offices.
With the simultaneous major turn of events in the senate and international investors backing out of their PH investments, it is a critical time for journalists to deliver impartial, truthful news to the people. In light of this, it is also necessary to address the increasing concern about journalists failing to engage in critical inquiry, which results into releases serving as public relations content or covert advertisements disguised as feature stories. Public opinion is shaped by the information they receive through news coverage. However, the integrity of this responsibility is compromised when they can be influenced by small incentives to suppress stories or silence certain facts. If a journalist then decides to paint a good picture of someone evil, the people will inevitably follow through.
Journalists, whose duty is to inform the public, hold a pivotal role in conveying not the image that personalities want to display, but the facts behind what these figures do that largely affects the national landscape. Fair reportage is not only something the journalists have once sworn to do; it is what upholds genuine public consciousness. Media practitioners tainted with bribes and envelopes obscure reality, concealing what should be known by the masses, and thus shaping a fabricated public view built on lies.
The act of envelope journalism contradicts press ethical principles because it’s never done to fulfill journalistic duties; it is deception built in the guise of service.
Editor’s Note: This article was first issued in the December 2025 First Semester Newsletter of Atenews.
