March 10, 1986
Letter to the Editor
The Daily Inquirer

J. P. Fenix’s complaints about his difficulties in covering Malacanang (INQUIRER, Mar. 10) strike me as the whining of a crybaby who has no business in the Palace in the first place.

My understanding of journalistic practice is that the Malacanang beat is generally assigned to the reporter who covered the campaign of the winning candidate. Obviously, such a reported would know and be known to the incoming President and his staff.

Fenix has problems because he reported on the doings of former President Marcos. Belinda Olivares-Cunanan who covered then candidate Cory Aquino would not have these problems.

In any case, a reporter who covered a president who lost the election is generally replaced. The news items written by such a reported would naturally have reflected the perspective of the defeated President. And so, the new president and his staff would treat this reporter at arm’s length, at least at the start.

Why doesn’t the INQUIRER conform to this journalistic practice and pack of J. P. Fenix off to some beat where his job will be made far easier by information officers who will give him many press releases? The Ministry of National defense, for instance?

Or, if the INQUIRER feels (as I do) that Fenix should learn how to function without press releases, it should assign him to the police beat in say, Alabang or Muntinglupa.

ALICE MORANAS