Enrollees in various colleges of mass communication, including journalism and broadcasting, keep on increasing. Is the number of professors enough for them? They mainly mentor how to be responsible and active netizens. This type of teaching becomes more challenging. It is also a hot topic of research. That is why, whenever there is a study result that is released to the world, journalists ask the audience not to use the studies to emphasize their shortcomings and add to concerns about them.
“In the Philippines we can win our battle for facts, for democracy – but not if our perceived allies, the people who are supposed to be helping journalism survive, are killing us,” said Maria Ressa, asking scholars not to turn such studies into an attack on journalists.
The University of Oxford had an answer to that. It said there are steps being taken to mitigate the risk of abuse in the use of such studies while continuing to refer to the policy of maintaining integrity in academics and research. Good then. But usually, politicians and their supporters are pasaway at nang-aaway.
From June 2016 to March 2023, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) monitored nearly 50 journalists facing libel or cyber libel charges. The data was released under the Initiative for Media Freedom implemented by Internews and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Atty. Toby Pavon wanted to know how many of these cases have prospered. He said, “Libel laws no longer work to protect the reputation against malicious claims, instead serve as a weapon for people and institutions with something to hide, despite fair criticism.”
In the rigors of journo life, we side with ways on how to better protect their ranks. It does not come from motherhood statements, but in the laws that are passed and the actions of law enforcement officers. Mga mamamahayag pa ba ang bobolahin? They perform their duty at their own peril, whether it be online and offline. It is not enough to say that press freedom is alive in the country when they face intimidation, lawsuits, imprisonment, closure of their media company or non-granting of their franchise, or worst, when journalists get killed in the line of duty.
Not all journalists can be Raffy Tulfo. Although we understand many of our countrymen who want quick fixes to their problems as well as their grievances against government officials they find abusive or tulog sa pansitan, we also do not recommend Tulfo’s justice style. It is debatable whether everything he does is journalism, although we know there is public service in it. It is always important for society members, especially journalists, to observe due process. The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) rightly asks that if the camera is off, is the root of the problem being addressed or is it just be treated with a band-aid solution to be better shown on TV or heard on the radio?
On the other hand, Carolyn Arguillas of MindaNews was recently added to the pride of the race. He received international recognition as the 2023 Luxembourg Peace Prize awardee for Outstanding Peace Journalism.
The Luxumbourg Peace Prize considered the veteran journalist to have made a great contribution to “peace journalism (that) has helped shape the media landscape towards a better reporting and understanding of Mindanao.” It added, “Her commitment to responsible reporting combined with her unwavering dedication to peacebuilding, has made her an influential figure in the pursuit of a more inclusive society.”
Indeed, the relationship of powers has a great influence on communication, so it is time to go back to the basics in the field. Communication should be kept in a safe space, open on all sides, and honest with any disclosure, with no threats to life from anyone who wants to get back to the person doing his or best with all good fidelity to the field.
Ultimately, it is not about the quantity of journalists but the quality of their service. And we still hope to see more and more courageous authors and personalities in mass communication.
DC Alviar
Professor DC Alviar serves as a member of the steering committee of the Philippine International Studies Organization (PHISO). He was part of National University’s community extension project that imparted the five disciplines of a learning organization (Senge, 1990) to communities in a local government unit. He writes and edits local reports for Mega Scene. He graduated with a master’s degree in development communication from the University of the Philippines Open University in Los Baños. He recently defended a dissertation proposal for his doctorate degree in communication at the same graduate school under a Philippine government scholarship grant. He was editor-in-chief of his high school paper Ang Ugat and the Adamson News.
