President Aquino blames the media for not being cooperative enough in spreading the good news about what's happening in our country. That 13% slide in the President's ratings is nothing to sneeze at. It reminds us of the slide that former president Joseph Estrada had before he was ousted.
Aquino said, media always write the bad things and leaves out the good ones. I don't agree.
Look at the business sections of every major daily and you'll see that there is enough good news there to tickle the minds of investors willing to give some of his money and get something in return fast.
The responsibility of media is to report what's happening, period. It is not their duty to beautify what is there or invent something which is not there.
It is the responsibility of the Communications team of the President to convey the right and proper messages for the media to write about.
If there is corruption within this new administration, it is the responsibility of journalists to write something against it.
If there is widespread poverty and joblessness, it is the duty of a responsible journalist to report that it exists. Government's turn is provide solutions.
It is not for the media to glorify sensationalized or self-hallelujahs coming from the Palace. No. The media's role is write what they see, they hear and they feel.
Example would be the continuing rise in fuel prices and basic goods. Everyone feels the pain. This probably is not being felt by the Powers-That-Be, because they're awash with money. Journalists, especially the honest ones, feel the pinch every single time they go to the grocery or they ride a jeepney. Journalists are part of the working class, those oppressed and alienated by the system.
The Philippine media is not a toy, or a PSP which Noynoy can toy about, no. Just like in previous dispensations, the Philippine media remain as the vanguard of the people. It is not the trumpeters of good news as envisioned by a president. Probably, the president needs a more effective PR team than what he has right now.
What is starting to unravel right now is the similarities between the previous and the present administration. Actually, this new administration is worse than the Arroyo regime because it does not know what to do. It is clueless of what's happening in the ground, that's why, most of its policies do not conform with what the people expect the government to do. Hence, the communication gap.
This communication gap always register whenever there is a survey.
The good news that Noynoy probably should do is very simple: do the right thing and punish those who continually manipulate the market to suit their revenue needs. If you compare prices of fuel in this country with those from other markets, you'll know what I mean. The public is helpless. Government is unresponsive and irresponsible. How then can you actually solve something of a worsening economic situation?
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