A Postscript to a Celebration

Last week, the local media celebrated this year’s Cebu Press Freedom Week. For the past 26 years, it has been a most anticipated occasion, especially by workers in Cebu media themselves. It is a time for reasserting the importance of the work they do, as well as for taking a breather from their hectic day-to-day grinds.

This year’s celebration was more meaningful in the light of the ‘crisis’ presently facing the media industry worldwide. The mainstream media has been seriously threatened by the emergence of new technologies that mimic its very function. The sheer novelty of these new technologies has attracted the curiosity of the public.

In effect, media revenues have diminished significantly and have affected operations. It is a very serious problem.  The mainstream media has to fight for its own survival.

The serious revenue problem breeds an equally, if not more, serious problem. In the fight for survival, competition among media outfits is sure to heighten. And there could be ugly consequences.

Fierce competition could spur creativity. Journalists might be tempted to make their stories more interesting than factual, so that the public would buy. In the process, the truth might be ‘styled’ and thereby compromised.

A single innocuous adjective wrongly used in a story could tarnish someone’s reputation or destroy someone’s life. Someone might be judged unfairly, because he’s not able to air his side of the story. The public would make opinions based on half-truths or inaccurate reports.

Disarray in the media could mean chaos in society. A public that is nursed with muddled information would have a confused view of things. There would certainly be disorder. 

The challenge for media, therefore, is greater now. Yet as was seen in the recent Cebu Press Freedom Week events, media workers are gracefully maintaining the balance. And that’s very reassuring.

“They work hard – and play just as hard.” The prevalent spirit was one of camaraderie – not rivalry. It’s a good attitude to have in these trying times.

Journalists are purveyors of truth, not business rivals. Yes, it’s easier said than done – but that’s the challenge.

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Por Vida Moves

Starting next week, Por Vida will now come out every Tuesday in the Freeman Lifestyle. Thus, the column will come out on Tuesday, September 25, and on all Tuesdays thereafter.