(Eagle News)—Rappler on Sunday, April 14, said it was just doing its job “by writing stories based on facts” following President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades against media outfits that included the online media organization.
“Why is it that the President’s reflex is to accuse the media, and almost everyone who doesn’t toe his line, of being paid and having a hidden agenda?” Rappler said in a statement.
Rappler urged the President to “(do his job)” by “addressing the country’s most pressing problems and not picking on us” instead.
Over the weekend, Duterte slammed the Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism, which had published reports on his wealth, and Rappler, urging the public not to believe them.
He said there was no such thing as investigative journalism in the country anymore, detailing the ACDC scheme some journalists resort to.
Under the scheme, a journalist would attack a subject through his or her story and then collect money from that subject.
The journalist would then defend the subject in a subsequent story, and then collect money again from him or her.