Group 3

Anil, Ma. Nicole B.

Bea, John Kenneth DP.
Luci, Ladielyn
Maloloy-On, Rica
Molina, Renniel
Manalo, Mark Leonard
Salva, Abegail T.

Impact of Citizen Journalism and Social Media

INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, media has been used as a
powerful tool used to communicate with
other people. People are tend to be more
participative and active with current social
issues being raised also by other people. And
as time goes by, people media continuously
growing because of the emergence of the
social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
However, these changes corresponds greater
responsibilities. And these responsibility tend
to be disregard. They often rely on what they
are seeing through internet, because they
think, it’s legible. That is why they believe on
what they see, without fact checking.
The video road rage turned into shooting
incident in Quiapo became viral after it was
shared by Top Gear Philippines on Facebook.
Top Gear wrongfully accused Mr. Nestor
Punzalan as the suspect in the said shooting
incident. Mr. Punzalan and his wife
deactivated their Facebook accounts after
receiving bashings and death threats. Mr.
Punzalan even went to police to clear his
name.
Undeniably, social media was also
instrumented in the arrest of the suspect Vhon
Tanto who later admitted his crime on
national television.

1. How was Mr. Punzalan affected by being wrongfully accused in social media as the
suspect in the said shooting incident?
 Mr. Punzalan and his family was affected by being received some death threats and
unjust bash by the people media. Because it was traumatic experience. They think
that he [Mr. Nestor Punzalan] is the one who is murderer. His family received
massive bashes and unjust treatment with people them.
2. What is the liability of Top Gear, other media outlets, and netizens who wrongfully
accused Mr. Nestor Punzalan as the suspect in the said incident?
 The liability of Top Gear in shooting incident in shooting incident has a big impact
because they are the ones who wrongfully accused Mr. Punzalan and they are the ones
who spreads information of the said incident. Under Article 353 of The Philippine
Revised Penal Code is defined as:
“A public and malicious imputation of a crime, or of
a vice or defect, real or imaginary, or any act,
omission, condition, status or circumstance tending
to cause dishonor, discredit or contempt a natural or
juridical person to blacken the memory who is dead.”

 As is in the nearly every other country, in the Philippines, slander is spoken defamation
and libel is written defamation.
3. What role was played by the citizen journalist and social media in this incident?
 The role of the citizen journalist in the said incident is that, they serves as a legmen
which they shares these information for us to be able to be aware on what does happen
in shooting incident. As well also the social media serves as the way or medium to
spread the news. However, they also accused Mr. Punzalan as the suspect, which is
morally wrong.
4. What positive and negative effect of media and information on individual and society
where evident in this incident?
 The positive effect of media and information is that people tend to be more advanced
and aware with current news and events that is happening now. On the other hand, the
negative effects of this is the wrong accusation on the spread of the fake information
especially in social media because the social media information are very fast, but not
accurate.
5. How can we prevent this kind of incident as experienced by Mr. Punzalan from the
happening in the future?
 We can prevent this kind of incidents thru being wise in utilizing media and
information. Use triangulation method to determine whether the said information and
share only true and valid argument from reliable sources.
6. What important lessons can we learn from this event as a social media user?
 To be wise; read a lot and be literate with information and think TWICE when you are
sharing one information.