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BY ANGELICA LOUISE PFLEIDER
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The trials of a media man
WHEN I was a little kid, media men were next to superstars in my point of view.
Whenever I would watch the anchors of TV Patrol, it would always be with awe. Here were people who were household names, people who had the power to go behind the scenes and get the real story of what the big bosses were up to. Here were people who got to travel around the world just to cover a story. These people inspired me to take up AB Communication and be a part of the media world.
However, when I actually took up the course and immersed myself in the actual world during my internship, I found out the job of a media man is not all glitz and glamour. In fact, I realized it is one of the most risky jobs out there with several issues to overcome.
One of these issues is Copyright. I admit, as early as my high school days whenever our teachers would ask us to research this or that, Wikipedia, copy, and paste were my greatest allies.
When youâre on the field, however, especially if its media, citing sources is crucial. It is also important to state if your source said it in exact words by putting quotation marks (â â) or else you could risk getting sued for plagiarism or libel.
The next is Safety. The life of a media man is at risk everyday so you cannot be careless when it comes to work. Yes, if there is a typhoon or war you will be sent to that place where it is happening to get the story. You are not expected, however, to stand exactly where there are flying roofs or in the middle of the crossfire. I learned in one of my classes that no story is worth dying for so you donât have to risk throwing your life away just to get a headline-worthy story.
The next is âEnvelopmental Journalismâ or bribery. This is usually common during election period. A candidate holds a press conference and gives special gifts to the media covering the event and tells them to make him sound like a good guy.
This is something I saw during my internship but luckily, the company where I had my OJT was principled and refused the offer.
The last issue I would like to point out is the Salary. Yes, for all the hardships media men go through, the salary will not make you a millionaire. I remember something that Mr. Nestor P. Burgos Jr., director of the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines, said during the commemoration of the Maguindanao Massacres. He said that yes, the salary is not much, but the lives you touch with your stories makes all the hardships worth it.
That was when I realized I did not make a mistake in choosing my course. Being in media is a noble profession and no matter how many trials and issues media men face, the most honest and principled come out of it battered but smiling.
Now, when I see reporters in the middle of flashfloods, fires, protests, and other events, I donât see superstars anymore. I see heroes./PN
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