All or Nothing: Freedom, Power, Responsibility.
Mood: Rational
Music: Alanis Morrisette - Wunderkind
The days of social unrest have already passed but one can't help but think about what happened in this country the past few days.
A State of Emergency, more popularly known as Proclamation no. 1017, was declared by PGMA which started a chain recation of demostrations, coup attempts, and destabilization plots based on our distorted definition of People Power. But the issue that hit me where it hurts was the supposed suppression of the freedom of the press.
I am a journalist (well a wanna-be, at most), which makes it apparent that I am against the suppression of press freedom. However, I seem to understand why the government is trying to do such a thing. I also find the chain of demostrations unecessary and over-reactive to a stituation that could've been resolved through diplomatic manners.
The government has no right to suppress the media simply because of the fact that no one has the right to control what anybody has to say or write. But, being journalists, I say that it is up to us to moderate ourselves. Only we have the right to declare our "suppression of press freedom", but the basis of that control is on our resposibility as journalists.
The media is a very powerful tool that could calm or enrage an entire populace. Why do you think a lot of people would like to appear on TV, get heard on the radio, or be written in the news paper? Simply because it is the best and most powerful way to get one's message across. Whether it be good or bad.
The power of media often got misused throughout the decades in the forms of yellow-journalism, propaganda, and oversensationalism. The government is simply attempting to tip the balance of power by trying to suppress the media. Not to say that it is acceptable nor do they have any right to do it. It's just that it is quite understandable why they are trying. However, it's not the balance of power that they (and we) should be trying to even out. It should be the balance of power and responsibility.
In the immortal words of Ben Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility." I know we've heard this a lot of times, which proves that it is in fact a truth in life. The government and the media have the power of the state and the power of the press, respectively. It is up to all of us to find a way to moderate the use of these powers. Besides, what's power without control?
Instead of trying to destabilize the government and inciting change through massive demostrations, let us just try to help each other out; let us try to help ourselves out. Start with the small things like obeying simple laws, contributing to the community or reallocating our resources to help those in need. Instead of always fighting over who should lead the country, let's fight for what needs to be done to improve our conditions. A change in leadership is useless if we, the people, don't contribute to make things better. What's important is how we as citizens help each other out. We, the people, are the ones that matter. And that is the real People Power.
Music: Alanis Morrisette - Wunderkind
The days of social unrest have already passed but one can't help but think about what happened in this country the past few days.
A State of Emergency, more popularly known as Proclamation no. 1017, was declared by PGMA which started a chain recation of demostrations, coup attempts, and destabilization plots based on our distorted definition of People Power. But the issue that hit me where it hurts was the supposed suppression of the freedom of the press.
I am a journalist (well a wanna-be, at most), which makes it apparent that I am against the suppression of press freedom. However, I seem to understand why the government is trying to do such a thing. I also find the chain of demostrations unecessary and over-reactive to a stituation that could've been resolved through diplomatic manners.
The government has no right to suppress the media simply because of the fact that no one has the right to control what anybody has to say or write. But, being journalists, I say that it is up to us to moderate ourselves. Only we have the right to declare our "suppression of press freedom", but the basis of that control is on our resposibility as journalists.
The media is a very powerful tool that could calm or enrage an entire populace. Why do you think a lot of people would like to appear on TV, get heard on the radio, or be written in the news paper? Simply because it is the best and most powerful way to get one's message across. Whether it be good or bad.
The power of media often got misused throughout the decades in the forms of yellow-journalism, propaganda, and oversensationalism. The government is simply attempting to tip the balance of power by trying to suppress the media. Not to say that it is acceptable nor do they have any right to do it. It's just that it is quite understandable why they are trying. However, it's not the balance of power that they (and we) should be trying to even out. It should be the balance of power and responsibility.
In the immortal words of Ben Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility." I know we've heard this a lot of times, which proves that it is in fact a truth in life. The government and the media have the power of the state and the power of the press, respectively. It is up to all of us to find a way to moderate the use of these powers. Besides, what's power without control?
Instead of trying to destabilize the government and inciting change through massive demostrations, let us just try to help each other out; let us try to help ourselves out. Start with the small things like obeying simple laws, contributing to the community or reallocating our resources to help those in need. Instead of always fighting over who should lead the country, let's fight for what needs to be done to improve our conditions. A change in leadership is useless if we, the people, don't contribute to make things better. What's important is how we as citizens help each other out. We, the people, are the ones that matter. And that is the real People Power.
posted by caitiff at 12:50 PM
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