The 'free' press

It has almost been 40 years to the day (Friday, January 24, 1969) that we wrote a column entitled Publishers, Newsmen and Corruption in Gov’t. It was published in The Manila Chronicle under our column “I Write as I Write” and became the source of some controversy; actually, much of what we wrote that year was controversial in one way or another. Thinking back to then and looking at now, has anything changed?

We wrote: “It has been said repeatedly that never in this century have people so openly advocated a revolution. The main reason for that is the fact that the people have lost their faith in the press. In short, the press before acted as a safety valve. The government was corrupt but the people felt hope because they would see it exposed in the press. Now, they have lost hope.” Last year, the Philippines was named the most corrupt nation in East Asia, and one of the most corrupt in the world. Once we were honored as a progressive nation, now we are mentioned in the same breath as Pakistan and Nigeria.

In January 1969, The Manila Times wrote in an editorial: “A democratic system is so organized that the people must rely on the press for information about the conduct of public affairs.” Publishers can best serve the people as publishers. They must uphold principles over principal, and respect the reader more than the peso. This is a democratic nation of tremendous untapped potential, but it is one beset with serious issues. Scandals of graft and corruption have almost become the norm, and yet they are pushed ever more rapidly from the front page of the major dailies to the trash heap of yesterday’s news.

Corruption is not just a problem of the developing world, but of almost any nation. In the United States it goes under the sanitized terms “special interest groups and lobbyists”. President Barack Obama was just elected on a platform that was anti-special interest groups. He did so by ignoring lobbyists and instead relying on a grass-roots (or people-centric) organization. He funded his campaign through donations and historically unparalleled support from regular working Americans. He broke every fundraising record and entered office beholden not to corporations or influential individuals, but to the American public: Very different from past US presidents, such as George W. Bush. This was a triumph of democracy, led by a press that awakened to its responsibilities. Leaders (even if they are truly devoted to anti-corruption) can only do so much. In the end, the will of the people holds sway. Government is there to enact the will of the people, and the press is there to act as the people’s guardian. The truth is this: the fight against corruption is a grassroots affair; it begins and ends with the people. A true and free press should be front and center in support.

The role of a free and unbiased press is the conscience of the country and the voice of the people. If that conscience is compromised and the voice falls silent, what hope do the people have? The press can be a tremendous force for good in a country. When it falters morally and ethically, the country falters and democracy is threatened. Witness the prior failings of the press in the United States over the last eight years, which they are only now admitting too. The press cannot fail the Philippines.

We sincerely believe that any major change in this country will have to begin with a major change in news media. Politics has always been, and unfortunately may always be, a dirty business. But journalism need not be so. Admittedly, it is very difficult to work in a gutter and not be soiled. But it is one thing to work in a gutter in order to clean it and another to work in a gutter and add to it. The press is one of the main pillars of our free society. And if it is a truly great press, it will be more than just a pillar. It will be a beacon of light that could show this nation the true path to greatness.