Honestly, many times it’s not a pleasure, joy, amusement, fun or whatever, to read and look closely at different daily papers. Here in the Philippines and wherever around the globe. Only bad and negative headlines seem to help increase the paper’s circulation. Yes sure, our world has not become better.
The three “C’s”: are the fundamental factors: catastrophes, crime and crisis! Sure, television or other media news are also not much better.
Sensible suggestions and negotiations, making compromises fall through, disclosures from prominent figures’ bedrooms, double standards, the church in deep crisis, calumny suits, and, sometimes reports, editorials and columns, which drip with bad taste and spitefulness.
For more than 50 years, I learned that a journalist can -of course- mentally form and shape the public opinion, characters, life and community and the way things go. That’s why I also learned: a journalist should always remember self-disciple, responsibility, care, inquisitiveness, and respect.
Of course, empathy and power of judgement together with self-assurance, common sense and human dignity belong also to it, no matter if the topic is politics, economy, commerce, culture, sports or special topics such as police reports or war correspondence.
Chasing after rumors, revelation of embarrassing and mostly untrue things, sensational reports to make money and to increase the circulation or viewer-ship and the drive for personal prestige is negative for the public and especially for the journalist him-/herself.
Writing with a wicked pen and having a sharp tongue doesn’t mean that a journalist, host or commentator should walk disrespectfully through life, so to speak, as an elephant in China. Likewise it is the journalist’s duty to uncover, disclose or reveal, what the public should know, but, without getting personal. Yes, eternal vigilance is very important, even without a wicked pen and a sharp tongue.
