In our democratic way of life, the Press is tasked to basically promote a healthy democracy. The Press is tasked to keep in public spotlight every act of government, since the government is supposed to carry out its functions — on the people’s behalf.
It is not surprising that some public officials may feel pressured over the publication of news stories that may reflect his administration in bad light. But it is exactly this pressure that keeps the public officials in check, so that they always will put the interests of the public above their role as private citizens.
It is the duty of the Press to direct the public to the happenings in government, for a democratic society cannot exist if the general public is left out of the political discourse. Everything else is secondary or even trivial.
Probably not unknown to government officials, the Philippines has been described as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. The Center for Media Freedom & Responsibility notes that since 1986, 140 journalists and media workers have been killed for the work they have done. Included in this list are the 32 Mindanao journalists who were strafed to death on Nov. 23, 2009 in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao.
Of these cases, the CMFR reports that only 13 cases have been solved (cases where the killers have been tried and convicted), but no mastermind has yet been convicted.
It is probably for this reason that the killers may have been emboldened in their belief that they will continue to remain unknown and unpunished. This situation has also been blamed for the continuing cycle of violence that journalists are exposed to in the course of their functions.
In this regard, the MetroPost expresses concern over some feedback made by a top provincial official in a telephone conversation, in relation to our May 18 story on the Commission on Audit report: “Because I was hurt by that story that you published, don’t be surprised if I do something that may also hurt you.”
That for the MetroPost at least, sounded like a threat — which even our media colleagues around the country have warned us not to ignore.
The Dumaguete and Negros Oriental community take pride in the fact of our being an educational center, a University Town/City/Province, where educated people — not supposedly the least of whom are public servants — take time to process their thoughts and actions. Thinking before speaking and acting is something that all of us must have learned somewhere in our early years in life.
The MetroPost is a 14-year-old newspaper run by a professional staff. Modesty aside, the MetroPost is the only local paper to have been awarded by the Philippine Press Institute, the country’s association of newspapers. The MetroPost has also been declared a finalist in the annual awards in several categories in the last few years.
Surely, we cannot trade the prestige of this paper for any other consideration in our quest of “Empowering People through Information”.
Any government official, or any reader for that matter, who feels unfairly treated by whatever issue or story that is published in this paper, is welcome, within the bounds of reason, to send his reply.
