The central character: Atty. Larry Gadon looks on during one of the latest episodes of the impeachment hearing against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. (Photo credit: Manila Bulletin)
It is officially Week 3 of the so-called ‘Serenoserye’.
At 9:30 a.m. today, the sixth episode of the impeachment hearings against Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno will commence at the Batasan Pambansa. And based on the first five episodes of the ongoing series, all of the people involved have exhausted all the time and effort to reveal everything that is to know.
On average, each episode of the impeachment hearings last for seven to nine hours. Because of the severe length of the hearings, the media networks that are tasked to cover the event had a hard time keeping up, thanks in large part to other concurrent events that affect the country.
More often than not, live coverage of the impeachment hearings were rudely interrupted by a live appearance and address from either President Rodrigo Duterte or any of his staff (namely spokesperson Harry Roque). The President and his men’s constant interruptions have often made the hearings irrelevant at best.
It is always mandatory for news networks to cut from an ongoing Senate or House hearing to President Duterte once he begins to speak in public. After all, the executive branch is always a priority over all other branches of government.
But what baffles many is the treatment in which media outlets approach the hearings. On the good side, GMA News and Rappler provide an uninterrupted live stream of the impeachment hearings on YouTube, with GMA News using one that is exclusive online and not on traditional media.
However, the same cannot be said for ABS-CBN News and CNN Philippines. ABS-CBN News, in particular, provides viewers the feed from the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) and not one that is an independent online feed.
News5? Consider them extinct and moribund at this point.
With the impeachment hearings to continue until January 2018 at the latest, news outlets must find a way to maximize its coverage. There is no excuse for getting interrupted by another concurrent live event; someone should look at other manners with which the impeachment hearings are utilized.
If not, let’s just hope that Congressman Reynaldo Umali and the Justice Committee end each episode at the soonest possible time. Nine hours is just too exhausting to be honest.
From the Tube 
Nonetheless, this is a circus act in order to control all branches of government under you know who. There I said it.
Sorry, I’m dead tired of this.
Well, any kind of informational nonsense remains valuable for the media whether we like it or not. However, they should do it efficiently instead of interrupting one or the other.
At least ANC and CNNPH are both covering blow-by-blow live news events unlike the unreliable News5.
Problema lang sa dalawa ay hindi nila ma-provide yung mismong independent at uninterrupted live stream sa internet. Yung ginamit nilang stream ay galing sa mismong channels nila na minsa’y puputulin in favor of other live events katulad nung kay President Duterte. Kung gusto mong manood ng no-holds-barred na hearing, meron yan sa Rappler or sa GMA News Online.
They are pulling an RTVM/PTV of course.
Except na pang-online lang ang Rappler at GMA News streams na yan. Besides, usapang legislative branch ang ginagawa natin. Sa RTVM at PTV mas nakatutok sila sa Malacanang at iba pang gawain ng executive branch. saka priority talaga yan ng mga news channels kapag nagsasalita na si President Duterte.