advantage: internet

It's still a source of both amazement and amusement to me that from time to time, whenever I open my email, I'm offered links to articles from publications such as the International Herald Tribune or the New York Times. There was a time when I would never have had access to these publications -- and now, here they are, as accessible as anything, thanks to AdSense!

Getting news on the Internet has perks such as this. And though it is a new experience, to me, the use of the Internet as a news medium is a matter of course. In the days when radio fulfilled the need for speed, families gathered around it to listen to the news; why wait for the morning paper when you could hear the news in real time? Then came television, which not only proved to be instant but also more engaging and appealing. Hearing and seeing the news as it unfolded became more than a novelty. It became plain necessity. Not content with regularly scheduled news programs, we demanded hourly news updates, and from there, 24/7 cable news was born.

Which brings me back to the Internet. It is fast, it is capable of multisensory news delivery, and it is available 24/7. But more importantly, it is affordable. It has leveled the playing field for news organizations: small players can have as much (and as credible) of an online presence as the bigger establishments. Mainstream media organizations benefit from the Internet, but more so the alternative media -- those who would not have a fighting chance in the arena of print or broadcast, both of which are costly to manage and maintain.

The Internet's "free-for-all" nature, however, presents a challenge, especially for small organizations. This challenge is to stand out. It's a competition to capture and hold the reader's attention. After all, the Internet is for anyone and everyone with an agenda. Whether you are selling or buying, preaching or searching, educating or learning -- you can make the Internet work for you. Interestingly enough, it is the small groups -- more than the big players, who can provide variety in their news reports -- who use the Internet well. Mainstream media organizations, despite their resources and opportunities for expansion and skills training, seem stuck in providing nothing more than shovelware. Visit the web site of any major Filipino news agency, compare it with the day's print version, and you'll see what I mean.

But for organizations with no print version, the Internet provides a liberating experience. No more nagging anxiety that your story may be cut -- or worse, axed altogether -- due to lack of space. No more waiting for the following day to get your story out, or to publish an erratum. You get the benefit of multimedia capability and interactivity as well.

Hands down, the advantage seems to belong to the Internet. Traditionalists will argue that the Internet is a cold medium; there are rituals of getting your news from print or broadcast that the Internet will never be able to provide. Most of these rituals have to do with a sense of socialization or of having a common experience -- such as reading the morning news at the breakfast table, for instance. Or gathering around the radio or TV set with your family. However, iIn parts of the country where the literacy rate is low or there is no electricity, radio remains the medium of choice.)

Will the Internet ever replace print, radio, or TV as the news medium of choice? To be sure, there are many factors that will determine this. But on the whole, the Internet has greatly aided the delivery of news and the journalistic imperative. It has certainly changed things, and in a lot of ways, made things easier and more convenient. Journalists must take advantage of this and harness all that the Internet can offer. Ultimately, it can change the way news is presented and delivered -- and journalists must upgrade their skills and learn to view the news in light of convergence.

Shovelware or convergence? The choice is really up to journalists. The Internet is a liberating new medium, but writing and planning for it is not without its challenges. One thing I can say a journalist might miss is having something to clip and frame or paste in a scrapbook.

real people power

This year's election has left more than 100 people dead since the campaign started -- 114, according to Inquirer.net, and 116, according to International Herald Tribune. Five of these people were killed today alone.

These figures are lower than those for the 2004 elections. And though still not violence-free, elections 2007 has already been called peaceful and clean. Hopefully, this is not a premature proclamation.

Despite the violence, this has been more of a democratic exercise than ever. Inquirer.net's election coverage includes a blog site that accepts posts from readers, while on ANC, photo and video contributions from citizen journalists have been encouraged in TV spots that sell the idea of going beyond voter education to "voter empowerment."

And in the end, that's what this is all about: putting the power back into the people's hands. It is about the voter -- the Filipino -- his voice, his hope. It is about how empowered he feels and how much he values his vote, despite -- or maybe, more properly, because of -- the killings, the cheating, and the politician's promises.

Let us hope the people elected today never forget this.

two books

On 3 May, the Philippine media watchdog group Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) launched the primer Philippine Press Freedom Primer: Quick Answers to Your Questions at a forum on press freedom in Jakarta, Indonesia. The forum was organized jointly by the Unesco, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia, and the Indonesian Press Council.

The book contains information on laws that affect press freedom, and the codes of ethics of the country's various press organizations. It should be a valuable resource for students, researchers, and even the general public.

Back home in Manila, another book was launched, also on 3 May. Blood on Their Hands: Infanticide in India and Other Stories was launched at the Diamond Hotel at the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism (ACFJ) at the Ateneo de Manila University's Second Emerging Leaders in Asia Forum.

Blood on Their Hands can be described as a book of firsts: it is actually a compilation of excerpts from the Master's Projects of ACFJ's first batch of MA Journ students, and is the first in ACFJ's "Projects in Asian Journalism" series.

With these books, as with books previously published on the topic, it is hoped that the standards of journalism in the Philippines and in the region can continue to be both reviewed and upheld.

world press freedom day 2007

In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly first proclaimed 3 May of every year to be a day to celebrate the freedom of the press.

More than ever, these are dangerous times to be a journalist. According to the Unesco, the Iraq War has been "the deadliest conflict for media professionals since the Second World War" -- with 137 journalists and media staff killed in the line of duty since the war began.

Other circumstances, not only war, can present danger to journalists. Journalists are not spared from election-related violence, for instance. The ambush of PDI's Delfin Mallari, Jr. and DZMM's Johnny Glorioso is a clear example; more so, the murder of DZRB's Carmelo Palacios just the day before.

Even in "peace-time" Philippines, journalists are ambushed on the road, shot on their way home from work. Worse, they are killed with impunity in their own homes, in the presence of their families.

Anywhere journalists are killed for doing their jobs, thrown in prison from speaking out, or bribed to shut them up -- the press is not free. The irony is that anywhere these crimes are committed, the press is most needed.

Here's to a free press, and a free world!