A victorian writer named Thomas Carlyle called media as the “Fourth Estate of the Realm”, because of its vital role in a democratic government and country. Throughout history, we have seen how journalism became the “Lariat of Truth” —a symbol that represents the multifaceted functions of journalism. Time and history have been the witness how journalism empowered the people and the media by defending the freedom of expression and of the press, by protecting democracy, and by exposing the absolute truth. If it is not for journalism, our country’s democracy might have not been strengthened, slowly lost its power, and vanished as time went through, and history might have just been an illusion dressed as the truth.
Journalism is a scary world, because it will always have an influence of politics. Everything that is being reported and known to the public, such as the current events, is a byproduct of the government’s actions. Thus, journalism does not just raise awareness to people by exposing the truth, it also challenges the status quo. News and articles such as how the government leads the country, crimes and injustices, and the oppression that the marginalized sectors experience allow the public to be aware and allow people to speak and act in response to these things. When we become educated, that’s when we storm forward by building collective voices that call for basic human decency, respect to our human rights, and fair justice system —this is the importance of journalism. Hence, responsibility and accountability by the government take place that will allow change to transpire and pave a way to the betterment of the society. Journalism empowers the people, protects our basic human rights, and upholds the truth.
Benjamin Franklin, who is a political philosopher, once said “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by judging the freeness of speech.” In the recent years under the Duterte administration, the freedom of expression and of the press have been compromised. Struggles such as the birth of fake news, closure of ABS-CBN for no absolute reason, and the implementation of Anti-Terror Law that violates the Philippine constitution took place under President Rodrigo Duterte’s term. Journalists continuously stood tall by having fortitude on challenging the status quo and people continuously solidify even more the collective movements that call out the bad governance that the country is facing, especially at this time of pandemic. Despite all these challenges that threatens the democracy of the Philippines, journalism becomes more powerful. When the government becomes comfortable with injustices, that is the right time when we begin to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
