Philippine Media: Over Commercialized

     This is just plain and simple observation, not back up by research and statistics.  It might be biased since it is just my opinion.

 

     Every night as I am driving home, I am making it sure that I will not miss an audio broadcast of GMA 7 and ABS-CBN 2 news from my preset radio, guess who is No. 1 in the memory?  News content are almost the same from both stations, it's 90% bad news and exaggerared controversies.  

 

      My observation, this has been the industry practice and it has never been changed through the years.  Is it because audience will prefer to watch news items with impact on imagination, rather than intellect? Stirring negative emotions rather than emphaty? I heard one speaker mentioned, that marketing is all about imagination.  If it can captivate emotion and imagination the tendency is a higher percentage of memory recall. Which will lead to loyalty in services, media, or person.  If this holds true, my opinion is, Philippine media is commercialized,  it is not centered to the tenets of fair and just journalism.  But    putting more emphasis on what is entertaining to the viewers and readers, as this will eventually increase survey ratings.  Because advertisers will patronize who is No. 1 in the survey.  If profit is more emphasized over service, then it's commercialized.

 

     Take this as an example, the case of Jennifer where all major tv stations, giving full coverage. Is it because it was allegedly killed by an American Soldier?Why is it that no major network will do otherwise to a community development worker brutally tortured and murdered by a Filipino military in Lacub, Abra?  

 

      Well, this is where we live.  However, I refused to give up.  I have confident expectation of a future good. I call that hope, that someday Godly people will rule in media. Where the word of God will be followed. Will it be nice if Paul's letter is our basis of journalism?

     "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

     Now I can sleep.