Tuesday, September 25, 2007 Seares: Media rivalry, unity By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
IN last week’s Cebu Press Freedom Week celebration, news photos and video clips showed the likes of GMA’s Bobby Nalzaro and ABS-CBN’s Leo Lastimosa smiling at each other.
Of course, one couldn’t be sure if genuine affection flowed between the media rivals.
Glare of publicity affects people. Cameras transform a person, more quickly when he’s concerned about his public: politician, government official, or news/entertainment figure.
The public figure doesn’t wish the audience to see his ugly scowl, dagger eyes, or other body-speak saying “I’d like to quash you like a bug.”
The public sees smiles and handshakes, or an arm draped over the rival’s shoulder, as cameras click or grind.
But what to expect? Bobby and Leo dragging feud over ratings to the Press Freedom Week stage, like, say, a feuding governor and mayor being less than civil at a welcome for the visiting President?
Civility
The word is civility, which requires some amount of pretense.
At a Press Freedom Week celebration years ago, Mayor Tomas, leading City Hall officials in hosting lunch for Cebu media, told journalists, “Here we are, eating together, pretending we like one another.”
(Convenors have since shunned party hosting offers from politicians and public officials, not because of snide remarks from hosts like Tomas but to keep down the celebration’s reliance on them.)
Rivalry and animosity don’t die during Press Freedom Week rituals. There is only a suspended state, where civility is useful to mask true sentiment.
What still startles many public officials, and they find unbelievable, is when media rivals close ranks to quell an assault to press freedom.
