tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-797917605105900943.post4470221333679691843..comments2023-04-10T20:17:04.325+08:00Comments on The Catholic Position on the RH Law: Against pro-RH bias in the mediaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-797917605105900943.post-37859605771584422612010-12-03T09:49:51.290+08:002010-12-03T09:49:51.290+08:00Media in state of denial
Experience has taught me...Media in state of denial<br /><br />Experience has taught me that there are some (or a lot of) people who are beyond explaining to. They are people who form a formidable fortification of denial in themselves; it's of no use talking to them because they have long tuned out. The first step in helping them crack through their thick wall is to leave them alone.<br /><br />Denial and defenses have a complex dynamics (which I have tried in my blog to explain again and again (primarily to myself)). I believe that when it comes to the private sphere, we have no obligation to crack a person's state of denial, if that is meant to protect oneself in the short term and no one else is harmed. <br /><br />But for media, a public trust and the fourth state, to do the denying -- that's a different story. I admit I am very easily irked when confronted with this reality, the reality of media's own blinders and double standards, as we have glimpsed in various topics, including their coverage of papal declarations and the Philippine legislature's proposed Reproductive Health bill, to name just two of the most divisive. <br /><br />Maybe I placed media too high on a pedestal, as society's conscience, as a projection of my own conscience. Maybe I expected too much, failing to consider the fact that media is composed of human beings just like me, as much prone to folly, foibles, and failure. Maybe I trusted the truth to them too much.<br /><br />But since, apart from media, there's almost nothing else left as a neutral source of credible-enough information, we would be remiss not to call mediapersons out when they are remiss in their duty.<br /><br />Since truth is sacred, or at least the approximation of truth -- sacred both in secular and religious senses, the quest of correcting media's mistakes is a sacred act. But since, I imagine, media will listen to no one else other than their own, it would be most effective for the criticism to come from the inside. And it would be less hurtful if someone from among their ranks realize his or her mistake and report on it in media.<br /><br />Until then, it is perhaps best to leave media alone. Nothing stuns like bumping one's head on a wall someone built oneself.<br /><br />Resty S. OdonResty Odonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06308416791417331341noreply@blogger.com