THE MEDIA

By Alexis Say
September 13, 2017

The Media, has become not only the freest, the fourth most powerful and influential estate, but also the greediest segment of the state.

I consider Journalism both a commercial and an ethical profession. Commercial because it is not exempted in economic terms. Just like any other business, it needs to jack up its revenue streams, grow its profitability before tax, create a strong marketing quadrant and define its exponential growth potential, all to sustain the company operation. Every media company will boost this no matter how even if it means losing their nose for news or their apetite for a truthful news in exchange for a favorable commercial message from a paying political partisan.

An ethical profession because they have the upright responsibility to be a catalyst of trust because a public journal is a public trust. Journalists have sworn under their breath to practice truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity and impartiality, all of which are fundamental to responsible journalism.

A part of their Creed from which they should perform a sincere examination of their journalistic practices states, "I believe that the journalism which succeeds the best-and best deserves success-fears God and honors man; is stoutly independent; unmoved by pride or opinion or greed of power."

Philippine journalism is not what it all says, and the media have raised high the pennon of shamelessness.

What really fuels the media now for embroiling themselves in such a complex politics? Money. Politics is the playground for money, and by politicizing they are capable of concatinating all issues into a single unfair reporting that would inflict damage to whoever they were bribed to expunge.

Envelopmental Journalism has been existing long before Pres. Duterte has strongly punctuated how rampant it has become now not only locally, but also internationally. The only difference is that there are more "Scalawags" today, the term to which they are more technically and popularly known before.

Today, people just call them "Paid Journalists", or by simply saying the name of the party they support. Saying a journo is "Dilawan" or "Yellow" instinctively makes him or her a paid journalist.

Before, it burns to be called a scalawag because every news reporter knows who in the circle is paid or not - white envelopes are openly handed over and they become a witness to one another (bribery by one's own pocketbook and bribery by the pocketbook of another).

Today, it is done via local or even international telegraphic transfer or check deposit, and communication to seal the reciprocity of business is sophisticated by technology.
This makes a lucrative racket for the media and is seen sustainable because with the process, they cannot be accused of bribery.

Scalawag media are not different from the politicians - they are all corrupt. They are as elite as the political or business big heads they write for. This is because envelopmental journalism is not cheap anymore, repayment is rich.