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Chicken&Egg#1: The Philippine Media and Government, a Tango or a Tangle?
By philobean | June 22, 2007
One of the first things we learn to do is count. So, in reverence of an age-old skill, let’s do just that–count anything and everything from chicken and egg senarios to life’s ironies, oxymorons and paradoxes. Here’s the first.
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Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s (PGMA) plea to the media for support in the final years of her term is met with suspicion by journalist groups yesterday. “Media’s sole responsibility is to the people,” declares the president, asking for “balanced reporting based on verified facts, constructive commentary on public issues, and editorial focus on news that matters to the lives and livelihood of ordinary Filipinos”.
What a worthy request indeed (one that the media really should consider seriously). But, lo and behold, here is where our mental fingerpointing exercise begins.
A: The media argue (conceptually at least) that, while PGMA’s appeal is noble in concept, it comes not with equally noble action from the administration. They proceed to recant recent statistics on violence and crime against the media. PGMA cannot demand media fairness in a regime that endeavors to usurp media freedom.
B:Â PGMA rebuts the media (in our imaginations at least) for being too cyncial, afflicting the masses with pessimism and deeply-rooted distrust in the government. How can the government be lenient to a media that acts mutinous?
A: The media, in turn, argues (in concept at least) that pessimism and distrust are the fruits of the government’s own action and not the media’s. Furthermore, how can a media be trustful of a government that has a history of media oppression and corruption.
…and the bickering goes on.
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Something on the agenda for later: Maybe soon we can work on deconstructing ‘chicken and egg’ issues. Perhaps, the answer is, as is usually the case, neither chicken nor egg but is rather something in between or far removed from either. And, more interestingly, perhaps via deconstruction we can find a single generic solution to all C&E cases. Nice thought, isn’t it? That will, at the very least, free us from endlessly reconsidering circular problems of this nature.
Topics: A little political |
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:49 pm
So its not the chicken nor the egg! It is a primordial ooze where we all came. Hooray! So, in the PGMA versus Media C&E conundrum, what is the primordial ooze?
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:16 pm
this chicken-egg remind me to same plea by the president SBY happened in my country,Indonesia,not so long times ago ^^ and until now we still go on circular argument and defense..(but at least in my country’s case, this chicken-egg thingy is better than almost-zero pres freedom back in times before reformation..tho it starts to be annoying now,haha^^. in case anyone has found the ‘primordial ooze’,call me asap! :P)
June 23rd, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Where to draw the line between free press and abusive press? Hard question ain’t it.