Outside the box: Are journalists still relevant?

Most nights, before I go to sleep, I like checking the New York Times and Guardian apps for their take on the day’s news and their interesting feature stories. No, it’s not because I think they’re the best in the business, but because they’re the most readable sites on the tiny screen of my office-issued smartphone. On weekdays especially, when the daily grind starts to wear me down, their stories somehow reassure me that journalism still thrives in this age of inane blogs and silly comments. Reading about the pros and cons of renting apartments, the secrets of ratings agencies, and a one-woman funeral service makes me think of the wealth of stories out there that curious reporters have yet to uncover. More importantly, they serve as a reminder that in many parts of the world, journalism is a profession, not a pastime. That last thought rankled once again during the last Media Nation talk fest held in Cebu, where the definition of journalist was debated for the umpteenth time. Some argued that all the 32 media workers killed in the Ampatuan massacre should be called journalists while others, including myself, felt that both terms should be used. The hardliners debated endlessly about the martyrdom of broadcasters who have been gunned down in the provinces, even as colleagues reasoned out that many of them are really part-time radio commentators who are paid block-timers, often for politicians. Media accreditation and even licensing, similar to those for teachers and engineers for instance, have been discussed ad nauseam in various conferences through the years. However, the issue has never been resolved due to fears of a Martial Law-type crackdown on the media. After 25 years of freedom, one would have thought the Philippine press had grown stronger and had matured enough to fend off these worries, but no, the ghosts of Marcos and his repressive cronies continue to haunt our senior colleagues. And so they proliferate in this country– the PR people and political operators masquerading as columnists, the hao siao reporters getting freebies in presscons, the professors who teach journalism based on theory instead of actual experience, the phenomenon of the pinabili-lang-ng-suka-naging-reporter-na, the self-declared pundits who pontificate about media coverage without bothering to check if their data or interpretation is correct. Listening to colleagues coming from various parts of the country talk about the state of Philippine journalism, it seemed to me that too many people go into the industry just to become popular, get into politics, earn easy money, or indulge in power tripping. The need to provide public service, become purveyors of good taste and decency, and practice what former Isabela Governor Grace Padaca called “the good kind of power” are often forgotten in the race to compete with rival news outlets for circulation and ratings. With bloggers and tweeps dominating the online media in recent years, the latest threat to the journalism profession is the proliferation of netizens who are spewing out unverified information to unsuspecting media consumers. There are also sites that simply copy and paste from news websites without permission, retaining stories that may have been removed or altered, sometimes to the chagrin of web editors that have to do the explaining to irate Internet users. What many users do not realize is that information from most blogs and social media do not go through the rigorous processing of data that comes out in news sites. Often, I find the term professional blogger an oxymoron, knowing full well that blogging is too informal a preoccupation to be classified as a job that requires higher standards and discipline in verification, analysis, and presentation. But the reality is that Internet users often cannot tell the difference, especially when online news media are as sloppy as blogs in reporting trends and the day’s events. And as more and more traditional media realize the necessity of having an online presence, the challenge can only become greater, with new skills required from journalists who are sometimes too stubborn to recognize they are no longer in the lofty position of being the only ones who can gain access to news sources. As the world becomes more globalized and the Internet gains ever greater traction, journalists have to realize that they need to reinvent themselves in order to keep pace with anyone who is armed with an Internet-capable phone. Reporters have to check their facts and sources ever more carefully, to avoid getting brickbats from eagle-eyed readers. Editors have to be mindful of their role as gatekeepers and grammar gurus, knowing that an ever more discriminating audience can leave unflattering comments on Disqus and Facebook about their ability to string words together to communicate an idea. It’s an ever-changing world out there, and journalists have to adapt to an Internet-savvy society lest they get left behind, or worse, get replaced by poseurs churning out rumors to an audience that doesn’t know any better.