Tuesday, October 03, 2006 Editorials: Media cleansing process
THE arrest of two block-time broadcasters for alleged extortion has again brought into focus corrupt acts of some media practitioners, although there should be a disclaimer that those doing it are a small minority.
One should note, however, that a corrupt media environment does not only encompass erring practitioners but include: the bribe giver, employers or colleagues who close their eyes to the misconduct, even listeners and readers who patronize the corrupt.
One-sided
This complicated setup allows what corrupt block-timers and even those without a media outlet, derisively referred to by legitimate media practitioners as “comedia” or “manigbasay,” to survive, or worse, flourish.
The same setup is even being exploited by — or at least gives an opening to — some media people, meaning those legitimately hired, to “sideline” in corrupt activities.
What this means is that while institutions like the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), other media groups and outlets and legitimate media people may want to rid the local media of the corrupt, the intention can only be, at best, one-sided.
The cleansing process, to be effective, must involve the participation of other sectors in, say, exposing the corrupt and those who allow themselves to be corrupted so they can be punished.
Exposed
What Undersecretary Elberto Emphasis did in the case of Rey Cortez and Bingbong Solon can be taken within this context for, if his allegations are proven true, he will have exposed the objectionable activities of the block-time broadcasters.
This should pave the way for the KBP to conduct an investigation and, if the two are found guilty, either bar them from the air lanes or at the very least remind member radio stations to consider the repercussions before allowing them to broadcast.
Effective effort
This is not to say that media organizations and establishments, including media leaders, are faultless; a case could be made on the lack of determination to cleanse the ranks, as shown by the continued proliferation of questionable entities in the profession.
But the cleansing effort would be more effective if the public pressures media workers to intensify the purging process and if the victimized or those with legitimate grievance will stand up and help unmask erring practitioners.
