The "Media"
Posted on Thursday, 2 June 2016
The “Media”
By Apolinario Villalobos
“Media” is the plural form of “medium”
which means avenue, form, mode, method, channel, vehicle. In this regard, there
are statements such as, “medium of instruction”, “mode of transportation”,
“manner of expression”, etc. In giving information, there are two traditional
means which are the publication (print media – tabloid, broadsheets or
newspapers, magazaines, pamphlets, brochures, leaflets, books, etc.) and
broadcast (radio, TV). But lately, because of the internet, “e-publications” or
blog channels such as facebook, wordpress, blogsite, tumbler, and many other
“social media” have been crowding the cyberspace. The “media” as a word was
made popular for convenience of reference to newspaper, magazines, and broadcast,
so that from then on, anybody who is connected with them is called “media man”
or simply “media”. That is how it is in the Philippines.
But the generic reference has been abused
and exploited by people who have evil designs. This has been discovered by legitimate
media groups since a very long time ago, so that their precaution is for us is
to be wary of “media men” wearing big IDs that are exaggeratedly oversized as
if to cover the whole chest and boastfully displayed. Many arrested extortionists are using this kind of ID. Legitimate media IDs are of the standard ID size and
most often not displayed except when the owner is part of an official
operation.
Media people are generally classified into
legitimate and illegitimate. The legitimates are those who are in the employ of
publication and broadcast companies, hence, issued with ID’s and with them are
the free-lancing contributing writers and “block timers” who are likewise given due recognition by the
same entities. The illegitimates are those who are outright fakes,
self-appointed ones, using oversized fake ID’s and whose purposes are to
blackmail and extort unsuspecting victims.
Every time a legitimate media person is
killed, immediately, the killer is identified while the reason given outright
is his “noble cause” which is fighting criminality, corruption…anything
negative or destructive to society. And, the immediate emphasis is the
reference to his “media” connection, which as aforementioned has a connotation
of a noble job, a sacrificing job due to the meager pay. Unfortunately, this
meager pay has driven some members of the media to succumb into the temptation
dangled by syndicates for them to be included in their payroll. If some police
can be involved in such, and some elected government officials can be involved
in corruption, why can’t some members of the media?
Being a “media” then, should not be viewed
as a guarantee that the guy who wears a legitimate ID is 100% ”clean”…. as
being a lawyer is not a guarantee that the guy will always abide by the law
when some of them are known to fake documents, being a doctor is not a
guarantee that all his patients shall survive his ministration, being a pastor
or a priest is not a guarantee that the guy will always be honest and fair to
all members of his flock, etc.
The statement for example, about a
representative of a media who has been killed should not be interpreted as
“anybody can just kill a media”. That
for me is the outright ABUSE of “authority”. And their popular adage, “the
media can make or unmake a person”, for me is not a warning but a blackmail.
Does it mean that just because they are members of the media, they can do
anything they want? The cause or the
reason of the killing should be brought to light before such statement should
be uttered. Nobody is safe from the fatal impulsive reaction of a person who
feels wronged, especially, if he feels helpless even with the touted “due
process” as everybody knows how the justice system in the country operates.
Nobody can control impulsive reactions especially of a person who is deranged
with a revengeful compulsion.
What the media people should do is to be
VERY EXTRA CAREFUL IN USING THEIR “LICENSE” WHEN DIVULGING INFORMATION…in other
words, be fair to those who have no access to the publications, radio, TV and
the internet. And since the legitimate members have organizations, the latter
should police or strictly monitor their members so that discipline can be
imposed on the erring ones.
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