MANILA, Philippines — A University of the Philippines journalism professor criticized Leyte 4th district Representative Richard Gomez for what he described as a “lack of understanding” of how the press operates, after the lawmaker alleged that journalists were engaged in “orchestrated” reporting on flood issues in his district. Gomez had claimed that reporters appeared to be coordinating their coverage when they sought his side on the controversy, saying he noticed they were asking “similar questions.” Professor Danilo Arao, however, rejected the insinuation, stressing that interview requests were part of legitimate newsgathering and should not be mistaken for media manipulation. “There’s no media spin in a situation where journalists and media workers are just simply doing their jobs,” Arao said in an interview on Saturday. He said that reporters often raised comparable topics, particularly on pressing public issues, but this did not mean their stories were coordinated or slanted. “Although the line of questioning may be almost similar, there would be some nuances and differences with regard to the questions,” Arao said. The professor also dismissed Gomez’s suggestion that money was involved in securing coverage. “When you get interviewed by the press, you don’t get paid. No money changes hands,” Arao said. “It’s on the basis of authority and credibility.” He warned that such accusations could damage public trust in the media at a time when journalists already faced unfounded allegations of being “on the payroll” of certain interests. “We don’t want the erosion of trust in the media perpetrated by the likes of Richard Gomez. That’s why we have to call him out,” Arao said. Arao added that Gomez, who has long been a public figure both as an actor and an elected official, should know better about how journalists work. He recalled that the lawmaker once enrolled as a special student at UP and even took courses in the university’s College of Mass Communication.