GMA News and Public Affairs issued a correction statement regarding the issues raised by columnist Alex Magno published in The Philippine Star on January 27, 2022.
“In the interest of fairness and accuracy, GMA News and Public Affairs’ special The Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews wishes to correct two matters raised by columnist Alex Magno published in The Philippine Star last January 27, 2022.
In his column, Magno made the following statements:
1. Magno: “No one remembered that when Marcos (Bongbong) submitted to a Jessica Soho interview in 2016, the venue was filled with LP supporters who heckled his every answer”.
Fact: Ms. Jessica Soho did not interview Bongbong Marcos in 2016. Ms. Soho’s last interview with Marcos Jr. was in 2011 for the newscast State of the Nation. In 2019, Ms. Soho was chosen to ask questions by virtue of drawlots to then senatorial candidate Imee Marcos during the GMA News and Public Affairs Senatorial Debate 2019. No heckling happened during this Debate.
2. Magno: “According to YouTube, the Jessica Soho-Leni episode has garnered 76 thousand views. By contrast, the Boy Abunda-BBM episode has 3.6 million views and running”.
Fact: The Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews special aired last January 22, 2022 did not contain the interview of Vice President Leni Robredo alone, it included three other candidates namely: Sen. Ping Lacson, Mayor Isko Moreno and Sen. Manny Pacquiao. As of January 27 when Magno published his column, the full episode of The Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews had reached close to 7 million views on YouTube.”
GMA7 corrects statement of The Philippine Star columnist on Jessica Soho Presidential Interview
Jessica Soho asked controversial questions to presidential candidates: Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao Sr., and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.
Aside from her burning questions to the candidates, the interview became controversial after former senator Bongbong Marcos Jr. skipped it. Marcos’ camp said they rejected the interview because “the hostess of said popular talk show is biased against the Marcoses.”
Soho is a multi-awarded journalist. In 1998, Soho became the first Filipino to win the British Fleet Street Award for Journalism. In 1999, Soho and the I-Witness team received the Philippines’ first Peabody Award for producing the “Kidneys for Sale” and “Kamao” documentaries. Soho’s story of a hostage crisis in Cagayan Valley made her the first Filipino to win in the New York Film Festival.
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