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By Dante F. M. Ang II
, Executive editor, The Manila Times
[Remarks given on April 4, 2008, in Lucena City,
Quezon Province, by President, CEO and Executive Editor of The
Manila Times Dante “Klink” Ang 2 at the news-writing seminar of
the NUJP-Quezon Chapter.]
I WAS asked to talk to you today about the
changing landscape of media. At first glance, the changes seem
dramatic, largely because of rapid technological development that
continues to unfold in the Information Age, in which we are living
today. The delivery of news and information is not just trimedia,
obviously. Complementing—and some say competing with—the output
of reporters from print, radio and television are the
citizen-journalists who use SMS or text messaging and the Internet
tools like e-mail and blogs as modern communication channels.
Indeed, technology has revolutionized the way we
in the traditional trimedia report the news. But editors today, for
example, lament the lack of face-to-face interaction between them
and reporters who file stories via fax, dictation by telephone,
e-mail and even texting. These editors are concerned that the next
generation of journalists misses the opportunities for vicarious
learning that happens with watching and talking with more
experienced newsroom managers.
But for every problem, there is an opportunity.
Technology allows us to cover news in vastly improved ways, not just
in terms of speed of delivery and reach of coverage but also in
access to information and richness of details, presented not just in
printed form but complemented by still images and video.
The good news is that underneath all that techno
glitter and hi-tech tools, the fundamentals of our work remain the
same. In a democratic system of checks and balances, we still
function as the Fourth Estate. The big difference is, if we fail or
if political or other interest group captures or manipulates our
work, the citizen journalist steps in. Technology has empowered our
readers and audiences, and in so doing, caused media to lose its
gatekeeping monopoly.
With empowered and more educated media
consumers, we need to rediscover the fundamentals of our craft. It
is by sticking faithfully to our professional disciplines can we
hope to remain relevant and viable of this age and beyond. We need
to ask ourselves hard questions, like why does my story matter? Why
does media matter? In these times when technology presents
communications capabilities to virtually everyone, what is our
reason for being? To define the role of media in modern times, allow
me to quote from the book The Elements of Journalism by Bill Kovach
and Tom Rosenthal, who said, “The primary role of journalism is to
provide citizens with information they need to be free and
self-governing.”
Media and development
To be self-governing, people must posses
political, as well as economic, rights. The political component is
not alien to us, but journalists must also realize that in economic
development we have an important role to play, indeed a
responsibility, for the greatest number in society to improve their
lot in life.
We need to challenge our traditional concepts of
what is news, which academicians and practitioners find difficult to
define. If I may present my own definition: News is simply
information that is useful to a particular audience at a particular
time. News, as you know, has widely accepted characteristics, like
audience, impact, timeliness, oddity, conflict, prominence and
proximity.
Certainly, I don’t want to lecture fellow
journalists about what most of you here do professionally. But with
your indulgence, allow me to briefly discuss another news
characteristic—social relevance.
In the context of economic rights, especially in
a Third World country like the Philippines, social relevance may
mean looking for stories that contribute to development. News can be
inspirational, like what some entrepreneurial people are doing to
escape poverty. Their story may help inspire others, possibly even
draw support and who knows, investments from those who receive the
news via traditional tri-media products or through the Internet.
As mentioned earlier, technology now allows us
to report to audiences even in the farthest corners of the globe
with Internet access. This is an opportunity for you to tell the
country and the world about people who are making a difference for
themselves and others here in Quezon province. Write about the local
scene and business leaders and introduce them to others who might be
interested in Lucena or even Quezon and are looking for contacts to
expand their networks here. In other words, local media should help
put a face to their community, one the world can meet, understand
and interact with.
Granted, old school journalists might feel
uncomfortable with this concept, because doing so often requires
partnership and cooperation with political and other sectors in
society that media is supposed to keep in check. But let’s
remember that journalists are also citizens of our respective
communities. And each of us has a duty to do what we can do to help
our society. And in so doing, we contribute in our own special way
to the public, without whose support and patronage the media cannot
exist as an enterprise.
Last, let me say in behalf of The Manila Times
and our journalism school, The Manila Times College, that we are
happy to work with NUJP and organizations that help develop and
promote high standards of journalism. Your development stories are
always welcome in our newspaper, and I hope to have you over at our
college so that our students may learn from your professional
experiences.
Thank you for the opportunity to share some of
these thoughts with you all today. I hope we can work together on
worthwhile projects in the future.
Best wishes and good luck in your work to foster
greater professionalism in media. Thank you and Mabuhay.
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