What should watch dogs do?

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The media is considered to be the watchdog of the society. They are entitled to render service among the people in being objective in giving out information. However, there overlapping of duties with the government is also unavoidable. As a Media and Communication Studies student, I considered the August 23 hostage taking as one of the best examples that shows the conflict of interest between the government and the watchdogs.

The intention of delivering the new somehow jeopardized the operations of the government. Although the police and the authorities are really the ones to blamed, the press had somehow made the situation worst. As a result, the House of Representatives came up with the House Bill 2737 that requires media blackout during crisis situations. I believe this is considerable a “positive” response from the government because it simply shows that government is becoming more sensitive that they are trying to prevent the reoccurring of such tragedy. However it totally stops the duty of the media to deliver news that concerns the public and the country.

The role of the media does not stop when the government restrains them from their function. Media practitioners are known to be obsessed with facts up to the point of endangering their lives. The implementation of this bill is not enough and its content is not even justifiable in a country like ours. If they want this bill to be beneficial to both parties, revisions should be done or how about instead of proposing this new House Bill, why not just focused on strengthening the government and media agreement or the PNP Media Relations Policy? Working out on what is available is easier than to start all over again…and I doubt if the whole media community adheres to this action from the government.

I do believe that even in crisis situations, no such guidelines or protocols are well implemented and followed. On the part of the media, their being objective ends when they do not practice self-regulation and when they risk, not only their lives but the whole state just for their search of truth.

Does objectivity in the world of the media even exist?

What I like about “Dear Miss Manners”

After almost four years of visiting the library and just staring at this encyclopedic like book, I finally got to open it and read its content…Just the first few pages of course since I got classes to attend.

The book which I find interesting is about how people should act with etiquette even in the most unexpected situation. Dear Miss Manners gives the readers the simplest solution in dealing with day-to-day problems with confidence and grace.

As I was reading, here are the quotable lines which I really like…

“If one does the right thing, one does not have to read nasty little books about how to deal with guilt”

“You wouldn’t trust a preacher who never experienced the temptation of sin”

“Who says there is a right way of doing things and a wrong?”

“Two wrongs make a blight”

“We now have a world full of new, improved people who are really ready to move on to improving others. This had better stop before there are no good people left”

“Most people can be trusted to behave personally well when they are in love and perfectly dreadfully when they have been dumped”

“Magazines are full of suggestions to help one fool people about one’s identity”

and the one that struck me most is…..

‎”The bride’s wish that the wedding be “the happiest day of her life” came true. Each succeeding day was slightly less happy than one before, finally they divorced.”

Culture Jamming

Culture Jamming

We do not want CHANGE!

Everything seemed to be acting against the rule of nature. The weather and the climate are interchanging and becoming unpredictable. Who says rain could not fall during summer or only snow flakes could fall from the sky? One may think it is “cool” but what one is experiencing now is no longer amusing rather, it is deadly.

Climate change has been an issue so long forgotten. It was only brought to life again, when different catastrophes caused by nature happened. These “natural disasters” devastated the lives of the many, and awaken everybody’s call to save the earth.

The government is allocating large amount of money in order to maintain the natural cycle and the balance of the environment.  Projects regarding renewable energy source, alternative ways of preventing global warming are the top priorities of every country or states. Experiments and researches were conducted in order to cope with the changes the planet undergoes. Artificial ways of making rain, energy savers, and waste minimization were developed to protect man from the negative effects of their own work.

Despite all these efforts, one can say that the earth and its people are still in great danger. The continuous move for a greener planet is being overpowered by the uncontrollably phenomena.

Just like in the Philippines, many provinces have been declared to be in the state of calamity because of El Niňo. This only shows that climate change does not choose the country to be victimized. A third world country will be shown no mercy by this deadly curse created by man.

I f the present situation continues, the planet earth will become a big stadium where only the strong and powerful country survives. The competitions for survival will be stiff and tough. Man will continue to exhaust every means to keep up with every change but will only be disappointed with the realization, that things could have been avoided earlier.