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Monday, September 19, 2005
Editorials: Turning the mirror inwards
To many Cebuanos, the annual celebration of the Cebu Press Freedom Week is an awesome flexing of the power of the media.
There is the grand parade breaking the sluggish morning mood of the Sunday ushering the Cebu Press Freedom Week.
Delegations from different print and broadcast institutions wind their way past the city’s oldest commercial district, emerging at Osmena Blvd., and ending with a mass at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall.
This ritual passage captures the press’ omnipresence as chronicler and critic of the primary social institutions: business and industry, government and religion.
This realization perhaps colors the perceptions of many outsiders that the Cebu Press Freedom Week is less about protecting freedom and democracy than about feting the power and glory of the media.
Taking stock
Though grander and much livelier than those of previous years, media fellowship nights should not overshadow the celebration’s low-key but serious intent to evaluate the profession and address issues on ethics and standards.
Cebu Press Freedom Week is not about window-dressing, playing to the gallery that the guardian of public guardians is not above examining its conscience, say, once a year.
Every legitimate media entity has internal mechanisms for regularly assessing its performance, acting on complaints about miscarriages of journalism, and responding to challenges to improve its public service, journalism’s primary obligation.
But Press Freedom Week is the whole industry’s commitment to a once-a-year ceasefire in the battle of scoops, honors and the bottom line.
Cebu’s working media is that rare exemplar, which can set aside competition and other differences to pool efforts at self-criticism and self-regulation.
From Sept. 18 until Sept. 24 this year, the local press has reorganized again its deadline-regulated routines to reflect with news consumers, news sources, government, academe and civil society on how media has been faring, as well as how it can improve.
Never again
Perhaps only a few remember that since it was first celebrated in 1994, the Cebu Press Freedom Week was not observed only once: in 1996.
According to the “Cebu Journalism: the People and the Times,” produced during last year’s celebration, the Council of Cebu Media Leaders (CCML) cancelled the event that year because it was “stung by the criticism about legitimacy and motives.”
That decision to self-boycott was much rued. Instead of sulking the following year, the Cebu working press moved to decisively shut out non-media groups from exploiting the affair. It was the first of many industry initiatives aimed to raise the bar on journalism.
Standing out are two other efforts attesting to the news workers’ sincerity to redeem an increasingly embattled profession.
Initiated during the 2000 Press Freedom Week, the Cebu Federation of Beat Journalists (CFBJ) aims to foster unity among beat reporters. Aside from organizing lectures to professionally update members, the CFBJ is intended to give a collective voice and presence to the frontliners who, because they gather the data and report the news, are in the direct line of hazards to the profession and to their own person.
The 2001 celebration started discussions to create a Citizen’s Press Complaints Board, which is an initiative of the press to afford the public another mechanism to air and seek redress for grievances.
This initiative bore fruit when the Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC) held its first working session during the 2002 Cebu Press Freedom Week.
The 15-person CCPC will comprise five members from the print media, two from broadcasting, two from the journalism academe (or former journalism practitioners), and six from the public.
For this year’s celebration, convenors are aiming to educate the CFBJ, public and private sectors about the potentials of the CCPC to address journalism concerns raised either by the public or the industry.
For remaining steadfast in its commitment to self-transparency and accountability, Cebu’s working press is sending out the message that Cebuanos have more than enough reasons to join in the celebration of Cebu Press Freedom Week.
(September 19, 2005 issue)
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