Another Look at the Media
Posted on Tuesday, 7 June 2016
Another Look at
the Media
By Apolinario Villalobos
The localized,
albeit, persistently exaggerated criticism of Duterte by the media , and which
lately has been further inflated by a so-called international group is
incomprehensible. In the first place, what Duterte criticized is the
involvement of SOME media people in crime, especially, drugs.
There is no
question on their noble purpose that calls for a lot of sacrifice. But, for
fairness sake, they should not look at themselves sweepingly as “sterile” or
free from tints of misdoing. Any calling is exposed to temptation…even Jesus
underwent this test, but he persisted on fighting the devil which he did
successfully. Who among the members of the media can be a Jesus today?
Again, if the
lawmakers, the police, church workers and many others have admitted that their
ranks are tainted with corruption, why can’t the media do the same? They should
instead, just admit it and start doing some kind of internal cleansing as what
the aforementioned groups are doing. Surely, the media can do it with their
numerous “organizations” and “federations” that afford them a feeling of
cohesion and security.
With the meager
pay and with a big family to feed, woe to those who will bite or have already
succumbed to the dangled temptation in terms millions of pesos and other
comforts of life in the face of the trying times. But I admire those who are
steadfast in their avowed noble purpose as heralds of the people despite their
deficient remuneration. In the end the only consolation of the honest members
of the media who get killed in the field is to be recognized, hence, called
“heroes” during eulogy at their wake, a fitting honor that has no monetary
equivalent.
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