Silliman University’s motto, a Latin phrase meaning “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), may need to be revitalized, rededicated, and revisited so that the Way is the Truth, and the Truth is the Life and the Life is the Way, and the Life is the Truth in this interesting era of social media and the controversial status of press freedom.
As a system of checks and balance, press freedom is intertwined with media responsibility, vital to a democracy. Respect for the freedom of the press, and the right of the public to be informed must be upheld as a fundamental building block of any civil society.
Equally important in this age of the internet is the responsibility of truth-telling, foremost in the work of every journalist, or of any person for that matter who disseminates information to the public through the social media.
Notice that anyone now from all walks of life can be a ‘publisher’ using any form of Internet-connected gadget. Needless to say, it is hard to imagine anything more dangerous than a politician with the media at his disposal, or an errant journalist with political impunity on his side.
It is bad enough that some politicians often lie for a living, and it becomes something of a catastrophe when the politician acquires the privilege to lie through the media.
It is established that journalism, like intellectual responsibility, comes with three aspects of the moral imperative: “a journalist has to tell the truth as best as he can, must report on things that matter, and must target the right audience.”
In many recent instances, however, irresponsible journalism comes in the form of fictionalized events, blatant lies, ugly gossip, etc., surmises and conclusions masquerading as facts, even if the truth is glaringly obvious at first glance. Never mind about insulting the intelligence of the public.
In this day, truth can be a dangerous commodity as the one who is mandated to tell the truth becomes vulnerably-exposed to the fangs of power with the implied dire consequences
For example, if one reports of an inconvenient truth which does not conform to those in power , he must be extra careful, must do due diligent fact-checking before publishing any corruption story especially if it involves government functionaries, otherwise, the wrath of the powers that be knows no limit.
The Filipino nation is struggling to build a democratic society, and for such a system to be established, press freedom is vital as all other building blocks for nation-building.
Are you familiar with news that truth-tellers have either been blocked, discredited, eliminated, forced into exile, or accused of fabrications, etc?
Most of the time, some elements within the corridors of power will always create the impression that reporting on State corruption is tantamount to undermining authority, or that the reporters themselves are considered agents of destabilizers.
This is why integrity is important in governance and politics. As moral agents, integrity must also define the person and character of every journalist.
However, reality shows that some members of the media willingly or forcibly fronts the cause of powerful elites and politicians, diminishing their credibility.
Or are the Filipino people too blind to see the blatant and glaring acts of misinformation which may collectively be seen as a scam to fool the people? The task to enlighten the public is a shared burden, so the need to mold a platform for action for change.
In the call to re-boot, always remember via, veritas, vita (the way, the truth, and the life) as the guiding light.
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Author’s email: [email protected]
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