Who is watching media?

Media has become powerful force, especially in a democratic country like the Philippines, where it plays a vital role in creating, moulding and reflecting public opinion. Media is sometimes referred to as the Fourth Estate, which means that it has the status of being the fourth branch of government. The term was invented by the British politician, Edmund Burke.

But every time I read, view or listen to the information or opinions constantly written or expressed by media people, including me, I have often wondered as to why so little information or commentaries are made about media itself. So who writes about media?

 During the recent 2013 electoral campaign period, there was a big debate on family dynasties in politics. I was watching and listening to two television commentators discussing the issue with a guest. All three were against family dynasties in politics. One of the three expressed the opinion that the economy was also controlled by families.

I was waiting for one of them to say that, like politics and business, media was also in the hands of family dynasties. The two commentators were actually working in a media company controlled by a family dynasty.

 I have always felt that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with family dynasties. Just like budget earmarks, they are integral part of our culture and system.

We have to remember that two of the most courageous and enlightened publications in this country during the pre-martial law years — Manila Times and Free Press — were managed by the Roces and Locsin families. In the United States, the most prestigious media publications were also founded by families — the New York Times by the Sulzberger family and the Washington Post by the Graham family.

However, just like budget earmarks, without the proper good governance laws, any type of authority and power can be abused.

 I believe that an independent and responsible press is an essential ingredient in preserving a democracy. In the same manner, that an independent and responsible legislature and judiciary are necessary components of a working democracy.

But we have seen in the Napoles and HERMES scandals that an Independent legislature can also be subverted by corruption. In the case of the judiciary, the Ma’m Arlene scandal leads us to believe that there is also corruption in the judiciary. In both these cases, it was the media that exposed this corruption to the public.

Now we have the NBI, the COA, DOJ, and BIR investigating the legislators implicated in the PDAF scandals. In the judiciary, Chief Justice Sereno fortunately has take the authority to investigate from Midas Marquez and created a special committee under Justice Leonen to investigate allegations of corruption.

But supposing there is corruption in media. What if there are columnists and commentators in the payroll of past and present  political leaders  or those under investigation for plunder and graft cases? Who will expose and investigate?

Aside from independence, we also need a responsible media. This is a characteristic that is even more difficult to define. For example, there are commentators who wrongfully insist that all earmarks are “pork barrel.”

I was also recently listening to an interview of a DSWD spokesman about the state of disaster relief work in Bohol because of the recent earthquake. The commentator kept focusing on interviews of those who had not received any relief goods.

Towards the end of the interview, the DSWD spokesman said that in fairness to their agency’s efforts, the broadcasters should also focus on the more than 90% of the earthquake victims who had received relief services.

After the interview, the commentators continued his commentary. The gist was that interviews and reports of people receiving relief service was not news. It was the interviews and reports of those who had not received, no matter how few, which was news.

In a developing country, a responsible media can be a powerful change agent. It can play a very crucial role in enlightening and educating the people. It can be an effective medium for uniting a people and inspiring a national vision.

One of the most important tasks of a president in a democratic country is to lead public opinion. However, a president cannot reach the people on a day to day basis. It is the media or the press that provides people with most of what they know about the chief executive, his policies and its consequences. The media also interpret and analyze presidential activities even if he is appealing directly to the public.

The media can help set the public agenda. When media covers an event, politicians comment on them and take action. Media coverage of issues, therefore, increases their importance to the public’s evaluation of public figures such as the president. Contrast the impact of Senate hearings with live television coverage and those that are not covered. Or even presidential speeches with coverage and those that have none.

However, it is also clear that there are significant limitations on the influence of media. Characteristics of readers and viewers- like short attention span, lack of reading ability, lack of interest in politics — limit the impact of media. Another limitation is that people often reject or ignore media evaluations due to personal convictions. News coverages generally have lower viewer ratings than entertainment or sports over a sustained period of time.

For example, despite the sustained and constant efforts of news media to promote attendance at anti pork barrel valleys, attendance fell from 100,000 in Luneta to barely 3,000 in Makati. One analysis of the decline in attendance is the perception that these rallies have developed political agendas and have become anti-P-Noy rallies.

Media will continue to play a vital in serving as the channel of information. It can also improve governance by raising citizen awareness of social issues like the effects of environmental degradation on climate change. It can amplify the voice of marginalized and excluded groups by focusing attention on the culture and rights of indigenous tribes. It must continue to fulfill its role of being a watchdog by exposing corrupt practices and hidden deals.

This is exactly why the only pertinent question now is, who will be the watchdogs of media?

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