Writer receives criticism for BINI article; people show support online

LAST October 15th, an article about the popular P-Pop group BINI was posted online.

Yes, there are hundreds of thousands of articles posted about these girls online every day. However, this article caught the eye of BLOOMs because of the question it asked its readers: Is “BINI fever” nearing its end?

Written by intern Geiron Jeff Ocampo for a local media company, the article discussed the journey and success of BINI thus far, the controversies that followed, as well as the perception of social media users toward said group. 

Ocampo quoted X users who had said that the group had lost relevance for them, particularly when there was a shift in their sound following the release of their single “Cherry on Top”. 

Ocampo also discussed the fact that BINI is now moving forward through different phases of their career, directly stating that the resilience and determination of the group to navigate these obstacles speaks volumes about the potential for future success.

“With such a strong foundation already in place, the group is well-positioned to pursue its global ambitions and continue to shape the future of P-Pop, a prospect that should excite and inspire its fans,” he wrote.

Even though this article merely pointed out netizen opinions, and also reassured that there is a high chance for BINI to continue on its trajectory of success, including several sources and even screenshots of the opinions of social media users, many BINI fans responded negatively to the article, stating that it painted the group in a negative light.

BLOOMs respond

Fans of the girl group were quick to defend BINI, with some local news outlets also writing articles stating that BINI now has a new endorsement, and continues on to perform at event after event despite some thinking that they may no longer be as relevant as they once were.

Others have even labeled the article to be “irresponsible journalism”, stating that the sources were not enough to back up the claim that BINI was indeed reaching the end of an era.

“BINI is far from done,” one fan wrote. 

“They are raising a whole new generation of OPM and P-Pop fans! Just ask my five school-aged nieces and nephews who danced “Salamin, Salamin” and “Cherry On Top” for their great-grandmother’s 98th birthday!”

Some fans, however, even went so far as to take screenshots of Ocampo’s photos and private activity on social media, claiming that he is writing biased content because he is a fan of SB19. 

Calls to defend press freedom

Since then, many have come to the defense of Ocampo, including the UST Department of Journalism Chair Assistant Professor Felipe Salvosa II.

In a statement posted by Salvosa yesterday, October 17th, he wrote: “We, journalism students and faculty members, stand in support of Mr. Jeff Ocampo, who has been the subject of unfair and unwarranted backlash because of a story he had written as an intern.” 

“We appeal to some social media users to stop malicious actions such as unauthorized use or disclosure of Mr. Ocampo’s personal information, including photos and social media activity,” he further wrote. 

“We also believe that his family and friends, who have nothing to do with his work, should be off-limits.”

He ended the statement by stating that social media should be a safe space for everyone, including students doing legitimate journalistic work.

Some users have pointed out that this is not the first time an occurrence like this has happened, particularly when it comes to criticisms toward the beloved girl group. 

“Not the first time gawin yan ng fandom ng BINI, madami na rin naghain ng reklamo at napadalhan ng subpeona,” one user on X wrote. 

“Mahilig mga yan mag-send ng death threats pag ‘di nila gusto ang isang bagay.”

Another questioned whether or not these fans read past the headline of the article, given that Ocampo concluded it by showing support for the group.

Meanwhile, others stated that regardless of whether this falls under press freedom, people are free to respond to it however they like, whether that be positively or negatively.

Despite this, however, both fans and non-fans still feel that it was wrong to have shared Ocampo’s private information just for criticizing BINI.

As per one BLOOM who responded to Salvosa’s statement: “We can disagree sa claims na laman nung article, but to dox someone and release private information that could potentially harm that person is another thing.”