Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Seares: ‘Ang inyong responsableng mamahayag’ By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
RADIO dyHP reporters from the field sign off each news report with “Ang inyong responsableng mamahayag.”
Most other radio stations trumpet a slogan of journalistic integrity and public trust. Or their reporters cap news stories with their being “kapuso” or “kapamilya” of their listeners.
The HP tagline must interest journalism enthusiasts.
“Reponsableng mamahayag” is not like the collective pitch, which stakes the entire news group’s name, or the “heart”/”family” spiel, which seeks to re-affirm bonding with the audience..
The HP reporter’s signature puts on the bloc the journalist’s individual reputation. In effect, he says he’s a responsible reporter and he has just given a true and fair report.
His burden is a lot heavier. He is bound to make his report as accurate and balanced as possible. Or he lies when he says he is a responsible reporter though errors and biases riddle his story.
His organization shares the blame too but it’s the news reporter up front who affixes his signature on each story, the product.
Calculated risk
It’s a risk just as calculated as when a newspaper or broadcast station says it’s the most trusted news organization. Did it count heads to measure extent of audience trust? Even if it’s true, is it not being presumptuous the trust will endure?
Years ago, then station manager Cerge Remonde adopted for dyLA a slogan flaunting listeners’ confidence in its brand of reporting.
True or not when first used, the tagline has encouraged its reporters to live up to what it says.
