Take it or Leave it
BY JUN PRADO
On Media Affairs
A respectable media, cognizant of their duties and diligent in conduct is one of the pillars of a free society. The Fourth Estate should act as the conscience of a nation and a check to self-interest, in government and civil society alike. In short, the press acts a safety valve.
We have always maintained that the only true freedom any individual or institution has is the freedom to do good. We must raise the journalistic standards of the country. That should be the main task of each and every newspaperman.
The ultimate test of any journalist is whether he was a credit to his profession or not. Since 1987, 140 journalists have been killed; ever 103 over the last nine years of the Arroyo administration. Solving the recent spate of killings is imperative. What is also important is the values that the journalists extolled. What were these values? That is what they should be remembered for.
One of the major reforms wished by the propagandists of the 19th century was a free press; a press free to express the interests of the people and to responsibly act free from government censorship. Graciano Lopez Jaena once wrote a lengthy dissertation of the various ills of the Philippines, and I quote: “Let the censorship of the press be suppressed, and we will see how many ills, how many irregularities, how much immorality will be brought to light.
For Jose Rizal, so important did he considered the freedom of the press, that he paired it with representation in the Cortes as a necessary action or else a revolution become an option. Both these reforms of Lopez Jaena and Rizal gave voice to the people.
He further warned: Someone will answer that in colonies with a free press, the prestige of the rulers, the prop of false governments, will be greatly imperiled. We answer that the prestige of a nation is not by abetting and concealing abuses, but by rebuking and punishing them.
Today, we say that we have a free press. Yet, we consider that self-censorship through “envelopmental” not developmental journalism exists: how prevalent, remains to be studied.
Walter Lippman, the popular New York-based journalist said: “Cronyism is the death of journalism.” In addition, the culture of impunity that has been allowed to flourish, best exemplified through the prevalence of extrajudicial slayings and mass killings, act as another form of ownership.
We sincerely believe that any major change in this country will have to begin with a major change in the newspaper world. Politics has always been a dirty business. But journalism must not be so. A journalist has to deal with politicians and politics and as we just mentioned is a dirty affair.
Politics, to our mind, is a dirty game where they pat you on the back so they will know where to stick the goddamn knife. We have to admit that it is very difficult to work in a gutter and be soiled. But it is one thing to work in a gutter in order to clean it and another to work in a gutter and add to the whole mess.”
The press could be one of the main pillars of a free society. And if it is a truly great press, it will be more than just a pillar. It will be a beacon light that could show this nation the true path to greatness. To do so, the government of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III must create an atmosphere where a free press can flourish. And the press must also evaluate their own house, police their own ranks, and never forget their multifarious responsibility as well.
BY JUN PRADO
On Media Affairs
A respectable media, cognizant of their duties and diligent in conduct is one of the pillars of a free society. The Fourth Estate should act as the conscience of a nation and a check to self-interest, in government and civil society alike. In short, the press acts a safety valve.
We have always maintained that the only true freedom any individual or institution has is the freedom to do good. We must raise the journalistic standards of the country. That should be the main task of each and every newspaperman.
The ultimate test of any journalist is whether he was a credit to his profession or not. Since 1987, 140 journalists have been killed; ever 103 over the last nine years of the Arroyo administration. Solving the recent spate of killings is imperative. What is also important is the values that the journalists extolled. What were these values? That is what they should be remembered for.
One of the major reforms wished by the propagandists of the 19th century was a free press; a press free to express the interests of the people and to responsibly act free from government censorship. Graciano Lopez Jaena once wrote a lengthy dissertation of the various ills of the Philippines, and I quote: “Let the censorship of the press be suppressed, and we will see how many ills, how many irregularities, how much immorality will be brought to light.
For Jose Rizal, so important did he considered the freedom of the press, that he paired it with representation in the Cortes as a necessary action or else a revolution become an option. Both these reforms of Lopez Jaena and Rizal gave voice to the people.
He further warned: Someone will answer that in colonies with a free press, the prestige of the rulers, the prop of false governments, will be greatly imperiled. We answer that the prestige of a nation is not by abetting and concealing abuses, but by rebuking and punishing them.
Today, we say that we have a free press. Yet, we consider that self-censorship through “envelopmental” not developmental journalism exists: how prevalent, remains to be studied.
Walter Lippman, the popular New York-based journalist said: “Cronyism is the death of journalism.” In addition, the culture of impunity that has been allowed to flourish, best exemplified through the prevalence of extrajudicial slayings and mass killings, act as another form of ownership.
We sincerely believe that any major change in this country will have to begin with a major change in the newspaper world. Politics has always been a dirty business. But journalism must not be so. A journalist has to deal with politicians and politics and as we just mentioned is a dirty affair.
Politics, to our mind, is a dirty game where they pat you on the back so they will know where to stick the goddamn knife. We have to admit that it is very difficult to work in a gutter and be soiled. But it is one thing to work in a gutter in order to clean it and another to work in a gutter and add to the whole mess.”
The press could be one of the main pillars of a free society. And if it is a truly great press, it will be more than just a pillar. It will be a beacon light that could show this nation the true path to greatness. To do so, the government of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III must create an atmosphere where a free press can flourish. And the press must also evaluate their own house, police their own ranks, and never forget their multifarious responsibility as well.
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