‘CHILD-FIRST JOURNALISM’: Kara David to journalists: put children first, story second

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

ILOILO CITY – Broadcast journalist Kara David urged Filipino journalists on Wednesday, Aug. 5, to put the welfare of children ahead of the pursuit of compelling stories, saying ethical reporting should prioritize protecting young people from further harm over ratings, awards, or online engagement.

David, a GMA Network documentarist and journalism professor at the University of the Philippines, shared her experience in developing documentaries on subjects involving children during a webinar on children’s rights in research and the media.

“When I started in the media, I only had very, very basic knowledge about children’s rights, but as time passed, and with the many children that I have already interviewed, my team and I have somewhat developed best practices in reporting on children. It’s not 100 percent good, but these are the parameters we follow,” David said.

David outlined four principles that have guided her documentary team: protecting children from harm and exploitation, putting children first, investing in children, and leaving no child behind.

She cited a 2024 documentary on child sexual abuse in Maguindanao as an example of child-sensitive reporting, saying her team deliberately avoided interviewing young victims to prevent retraumatizing them.

The team hired actors to conceal the identities of its subjects.

David said her team also secured parental consent and ensured that social workers from the Department of Social Welfare and Development were present throughout the production.

“Before we shot this documentary, we consulted with DSWD and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. We also consulted with a child psychiatrist from the Philippine General Hospital to really ask them how we should approach this issue,” she shared.

“We chose not to interview the victims because we didn’t want to add to their trauma. … We put our foot down and quoted the United Nations Special Session on Children: ‘Put children first,'” she added.

Instead of reenacting sexual abuse or reading graphic testimonies in full, David said the documentary focused on the children’s mothers and their pursuit of justice.

“We did not want to sensationalize the issue and just leave it that way,” the veteran broadcaster said. “We wanted to give hope amidst this very dark issue.”

The documentary later became a finalist at the Cannes TV Awards, but David said its greatest achievement was persuading a mother to pursue legal action despite pressure from her community.

“The real success is that the mother … filed a case against the rapist of her children despite the pressure that she endured from the tribal council and from her community,” she said.

David also recounted the story of Anthony, a child laborer in Eastern Samar featured in one of her documentaries.

Her team obtained consent from Anthony’s parents, teacher, and social workers before conducting interviews.

“When I do documentaries on children, whether they’re child laborers or victims of abuse, I don’t want to focus on just their case, or on just their work, or on just the abuse. I especially want to show that they are still children,” David said.

“As much as possible, I want to show their childhood. It’s important to remind viewers that no matter how difficult or dark their lives may be, even if they look older because of abuse or poverty, we have to remember that they are children … who have the right to play, study, and dream,” she added.

That documentary was the first Philippine entry nominated for an International Emmy Award, in 2012.

It also prompted viewers to contribute to Anthony’s education through David’s Project Malasakit foundation. The child later earned a bachelor’s degree in political science.

“Awards are not the reason why we are doing these things. We are doing this because we want to use the power of storytelling to change the lives of children,” she said.

She likewise recounted following up on the life of a young girl named Eka years after documenting her family’s struggles.

David eventually took the child under her care after both of the girl’s parents died, underscoring what she described as journalism’s responsibility beyond the camera.

“Our stories are powerful. I hope we use the power of our stories towards a world of safety, towards a safe future for our youth,” she said.

During the webinar’s panel discussion, David reminded journalists to examine their motivations before pursuing stories involving children.

“Children first, story second. You’re doing this not for yourself. You’re doing this because the story is important. We are not the story. Not the journalists,” David said.

She said the call extends beyond journalists to content creators who earn a living producing material for social media, urging them to consult the Council for the Welfare of Children’s guide for media practitioners on the reporting and coverage of children.

“Everyone who uses social media has to understand, that because they are using social media, they are technically part of the media, and we in the media follow ethical guidelines,” she said.

“More people are watching on social media right now, and hopefully our content creators … should have the bare minimum on ethics. They have to think before posting, and study even just a little because information on the internet is available so that they would also know when they are not causing harm,” she added.

The phrase David invoked traces to the United Nations Special Session on Children, held in New York in May 2002, which produced the outcome document “A World Fit for Children.”

The Council for the Welfare of Children is the government body attached to the Department of Social Welfare and Development that coordinates policy on child protection, including guidance for media practitioners covering cases involving minors.

Philippine law already restricts what journalists may publish about child victims and offenders. Republic Act 7610, the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, and Republic Act 9344, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, both bar disclosure of the identities of children involved in the cases they cover.

Republic Act 11930, the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act signed in 2022, extended those restrictions to digital platforms, where the bulk of Philippine media consumption now takes place.