Underlying advocacy

“It is also the best time to be a journalist,” exclaimed Jaime Flor Cruz, former Beijing Bureau Chief of CNN. The Manila Times organized a compelling and persuasive event for young aspirants of journalism to provide a powerful advocate during critical times.

At times of chaos, voices of the vulnerable need to be heard, providing journalists the greatest opportunity to execute modern propaganda. Does news coverage of the Politicians provide ample evidence to discern the current situation of our nation? Or do we need to inform the reality of those who are most affected by this pandemic?

Seething through the crowd of underlying mysteries inside the palace is one of my greatest fears, to witness my false imagination. I have been contemplating a lot of queries in my mind. What does true leadership look like? Will there be a point in time where the vulnerable can claim their justice? The hope of this dilemma is to stand up as a witness by piercing through their souls and tell stories using their lens.

Proving what is right for the nation is a heavy task. It is your business as a journalist to prolong the agony and go through a needle just to provide factual news and opinion.

There are a lot of opinionated fallacies spreading in the media. Unfortunately, most people subconsciously take the benefit of the doubt because it is what they want to believe in.

It takes sweat and your time to serve the public through words. Fake news is widely pervasive and is rapidly infecting everyone through the media. “What if journalism doesn’t involve critical thinking? Fake stories will be rampant” Beatrice Quirante, Editor-in-Chief, and Associate Editor for Print Benildean Press Corps pointed out. There are a lot of infringements that need to be injected out from the nation immediately.

A journalist’s duty is to provide information to the people by telling the truth without the spokesperson defending their boss. “Journalists are people’s advocates,” Mr. Jaime said. I believe that the people need to satisfy their thirst for truth, telling that there are overlays of injustices and false stories that need to be presented to the public.

We have seen shreds of evidence to prove that we are stepping on a nation with incompetent governance and it is my duty as a journalist to protect the citizens’ opinion by carrying it out through words even if my life depends on this silver lining.

I am not a protestor or a rebel, not even Katniss Everdeen who would want to take the capitol down. I am a journalist, a whistleblower who hears the needs of the people and publicizes wrong-doings by those people who are supposed to be looked up to. At critical times like this, it is the best time to hone my skill as a journalist and achieve my role to inform the people and hold public officials accountable.