Just read from Marc Macuha’s blog that columnist Malu Fernandez of Manila Standard Today and People Asia has resigned and apologized for what she wrote on some of her recent articles.
This would have been a huge triumph for the blogosphere that have been very vocal against her — but death threats?
Demanding a public apology and outright dismissal from the said publication is a valid argument. Name calling and cursing is treading on thin line but is always expected in times of outpouring emotions. Making death threats is totally crossing the line.
GMANewsTV reports, quoting her:
Fernandez claimed that because of the article she became a subject of hate blogs, a target of death threats and personal insults.
“Our society is bound together by human chains of kindness and decency. I have failed to observe this and I am now reaping the consequences of my actions.” Fernandez said.
Fernandez said she now truly understands the “insidiousness of discrimination and prejudice disguised as humor.”
Yes, she might deserve the ridicule thrown at her but subjecting her to death threats is a huge cause for concern (isn’t that a criminal offense under Philippine Law?). Death threats are no joke. The internet (and blogging) is a great tool for freedom of expression. That liberty, coupled with the inherent benefit of anonymity online, shouldn’t be used to cause anyone bodily harm.
Bloggers should also be vigilant to prevent this. I know it’s an impossible task but measures should be made to minimize it. Moderating comments deemed to be libelous and threatening should be exercised especially in situations like these. The same is true with anonymous blogs that calls out for someone to be physically harmed — do no link to them or allow them to post links on your blog.
This reminds me of Tim O’Reilly’s call for a Bloggers Code of Conduct after fellow blogger and friend Kathy Sierra was subjected to hate comments and death threats.
First of all, I would like to thank MALU FERNANDEZ for her article, lahat naman ng sinabi nya ay KATOTOHANAN. The TRUTH HURTS diba? At ano ang TOTOO? The TRUTH is ang KABULUKAN sa MUNDO. The struggle between “the HAVE” and “HAVE NOTS”, the poor “OFW’s” and the rich “SOB’s”, the “COMMON PEOPLE” and the “ELITISTAS”. The truth is most (not all) rich people are really insensitive and insulting to the poor or the middle class, believe me I know. I came from a middle class family, nag-aral ako sa isang maliit na school noong elementary and after graduating I transferred to an exclusive school sa makati, dito ko na naranasan ang DISCRIMINATION and INSULTS from this so-called ELITISTAS. I felt kung hindi mo sila kasing YAMAN, you don’t have the right to be there. Some of the RICH really seems to have NO HEARTS, walang awa talaga kung magbitiw ng salita. Parang they can get away with anything dahil MAYAMAN sila. Still I have no bitterness nor hatred, I just felt sorry that rich people are mostly like that, GOOD on the OUTSIDE and real BAD on the INSIDE. I just want to say that I know it is not easy to FORGET, but definitely we have to FORGIVE. Let’s pray that all change for the better and follow GOD’s commandments, not just a few, but ALL HIS COMMANDMENTS. Its time to let GO and let GOD decide…. Truly the LORD said “Blessed are they who are POOR for they shall inherit the land.” And “It is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a RICH man to enter the KINGDOM of HEAVEN. AMEN
Well I see allot of reactions for a bunch of pansies here saying ohh… “kawanaman siya. What she did was wrong but she doesn’t deserve this” Ofcourse she deserves this! Market forces and Revolutions are driven by the combined actions of many. And thus the masses have spoken!
You people are weak sheep! When your enemy insults you you must stamp them out and grind their faces into the dirt. If you really love some one then love with all your heart. If you hate someone then hate them with your soul. Somewhat hating is the same as halfway loving. Spineless!
So i say let her stew!
and stew she shall.
Well now that she has resigned and apologized, perhaps its time to aid her. Death threats are just too much.
death threats are too much?????
where are the death threats? show me the death threats! she was the one who claimed there were any in the first place. kinda hard to believe, but that’s just me.
[...] week later, Malu Fernandez was forced to resign from her editorship position at Manila Standard Today and give out a public apology after receiving [...]
oh please. death threats force her to resign? hardly. she was forced to resign because of the morally justified outrage of many people who believed her insults (disguised as humor) had no place in a decent society.
everyone is so much overwhelmed with exaggerations, and exaggerated words.
i hope this case will now be closed.
Ill be appearing on ANC’s Media In Focus this week. I think the angle of bloggers being honorary journalists may be explored. This issue has proven the viability of the blog community as a strong force and having mainstream media pick it up is very affirming as far as our influence is concerned.
unfortunately, only about 10-20% of the people took this issue with tact and a sensible approach. A good 20% also took the issue lightly, with varying levels of humor.
The rest went on an all out war.
Twitter: sylv3rblade
says:
I think the death threats part of the issue is overblown.
Yes, Malu did something to insult the OFWs and Lynch mob was brought in. What’s wrong with the issue is that too many people jumped in without taking the issue aside from it’s face value, hence the hate mail/posts etc.
Malu has already resigned and I doubt we’ll be seeing her in any other publication, unless she decides to use a pen-name and hide behind it and the issue should be over but the Lynch mob is still seeking her out.
To those thinking what has happened to Malu was so appalling that she deserves pity, pleas analyze the situation first. She tried to defend her article by acting so-high and mighty branding her work as ‘Satire.’ Satire is a well-thought of form of criticism and her article definitely fails to conform to that.
On the lighter side of things I’ve made an interesting post about people included in the issue. 6 ways to become famous online
I know it is wrong for some people to have gone on with the whole “hate mail” and mob-attacks-thing but it is wrong to criticize them for reacting the way that they were brought up in this society.
One can not expect all your people to be sophisticated in the way they express their anger in an unequal society with unequal education. This is something that all those who have grown up in de buena familia knows, and being part of the privileged class it is your responsibility to understand those who have less than you, simply because you are more blessed.
do not pity her, nor defend her, she should have known better,…
[...] the events that has happened over the past few days, we could remember that Malu Fernandez was forced to resign because of the ruckus brought about by her article which contains a number a number of insulting [...]
[...] this is really interesting. The Manila Standard Today announces that the infamous columnist Malu Fernandez is back in their roster or writers. This, after an earlier report that she submitted her [...]
I don’t think it’s beyond her to claim getting “death threats” because that’s a sure way to generate sympathy from the public — especially from those who fancy themselves as being “not of the mob.”
Cold, yes. But True.
death threats? i think she deserves it! don’t let her breed more racist, arrogant diva bitches!
calling all hackers out there!!! making her life a living hell! be creative! hehehe >:)
Peace with you all!
“Let the one among you who is without sin, be the first to throw a stone at her.”
(And “Let anyone who is without sin, throw another evil word at her.”)
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, “You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment……..
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”
“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. “
“And I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
“Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him; the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father…..”
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
AMEN.
[...] Dead. My blog unofficially died on March 31, 2007. Everything I’ve written after that has been a wan attempt to revive it at infrequent intervals. A tired layout paralyzed in time. Hundreds of photos that should have been dropped into my Flickr album ages ago. Uncategorized and untagged posts — all of them. Categorizing would mean I’d have to finally decide what it is I’ve been streaming all this time. Maybe my mind doesn’t like to be divided into neat little boxes. Maybe I’m lazy. Sorry, I’ve fallen behind on returning comments. And I also chose to vanish *poof* when the Philippine blogging community was abuzz over a kid, misrepresentation, and Malu Fernandez. [...]
yeah.. but that doesnt stop her from being the b*tch that she is. d*amn, shes not even pretty and skinny! yet she has the nerve to say all those awful things. i hope she never finds another writer job, or else she might get another chance to spread her disgusting views about people who works harder than her.
if a country is attacked, its people must defend, to the death if needed. our ofws were attacked. thus, we must defend.
what she did is serious. its no joke. apology is not enough. her resignation is an escape rather than punishment. punishment must be real. we must put her in jail or create a jail for her through our mails.
please don’t make excuses for her. let her answer for her actions. let her learn to be as brave as our ofws.
she reminds me of a character in Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo.. Dona Victoria.
correction on my previous post.. it was dona victorina de espedana.
a b1tch deserves to be treated as a b1tch…. walang ibang masisisi sa nangyari sa kanya kundi sarili nya…
sabi nga tambay sa amin…. “wag masyadong mataas ang ihi at baka maihian mo ang sarili mo…”
She’s like Willie R. now, making all of the paawa stuffs and the like. She should have just put her feet on the shoes of the OFWs first before she indulged herself into writing such horrid things. Maybe she had a terrible experience with an OFW or “worse” (for her) she was a former OFW like working in the Middle East, and if she wasn’t that “CHEAP” how da hell did she knew that the perfume of the OFWs was AXE and I don’t believe that wearing AXE as a perfume makes some one cheap noh haller?? Yes we can and we should forgive her she’s just a victim of a circumstance in which she had no chance of escaping just imagine she never grew up with all those BLESSINGS and after all if not for her we would not REALIZE the “Hardships” of our comrades working abroad, with all of these comments I must say, damn… You really love this country =)
dapat na itapon itapon iyang baboy na iyan.ang sama ng ugali,ang sama ng mukha,ang sama ng katawan.itapon na iyan sa kanal.kung di ninyo itatapon iyang si malu baboy fernandez.di namin susuportahan iyang newspaper ninyo.
well to make it more “Hilarious” why not make a CANON story for her. Since sikat si MARIMAR gawan natin siya ng “MALU-MBA” tapos yung alaga niya imbis na Aso (Fulgoso) isang biik si PIGOSO hahaha =) ayuz ba