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BY SONIA D. DAQUILA
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Monday, January 23, 2017
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MASS media or the media means a thing or a means which comes in-between. It conveys ideas, opinions, events, entertainment or it sells something.
Media can be in the form of broadcasting, in print and, today, more effective with technological sophistications, through the web.
The mass media can virtually create attractive or virtuous political or social figures. It can likewise destroy personalities, it can distort the truth. Media can be muddle facts. Friedrich Engels found this effective. Hence, said again and again, lies may be believed as true. Worse is when the one who claims lies as true believes in the lies he concocts himself as true.
When used efficiently, media generates astounding results. There are several ways politicians employ them such as glittering generalities, testimonial, smoke-screening, bandwagon, common-folks, muck-raking, mud-slinging among others.
Glittering generalities extols virtuous personalities and altruistic or philanthropic deeds despite the obvious political, personal or economic motives. Thus, the claim of maka-tao, maka-Dios, maka-kalikasan and others are popular lines associated with public officials.
Testimonial approach employs popular or famous personalities to vouch for a claim or of the product or ideas sold to the public. It is aimed at establishing credibility. The smoke-screening strategy is a shrewd way of deviating attention from really embarrassing or disturbing issues against a public figure or while some hidden agenda are dealt with. Imelda Marcos, for instance, hugged the limelight in her beautiful ternos, cavorting with leaders of the world or with foreign movie personalities. The showing of films with prurient themes and scenes to feed the masses’ sexual appetite while the country was starving. The band-wagon technique makes use of what is “in” or fad or simply riding on what is popular or acceptable.
Pictures and films are effective means of conveying message to the public. Have you ever given second thought on the pictures of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo planting rice on muddy rice field? Did you see the brace around her neck that promptly disappeared upon dismissal of the case against her?
What about the picture of Ramon Magsaysay eating with bare hands together with the farmers? This was intensified by his picture holding in his arms the bloodied Moises Padilla. Pictures and films express powerful message much more than words, endearing or creating despicable personalities.
Muck-raking is symbolized by a rake spreading manure. It is snooping on one’s personal life and exaggerating imagined, invented negative flaws of a personality sought to be destroyed. Mud-slinging too, unearth the dark secrets of an enemy and lets the public know about it. Remember the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in the USA White House?
Public opinion is the commonality of conviction or of sentiments held by a considerable number of the populace. It brought kings and queens to the guillotine, like King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette in France; the great escape of dictator Marcos and the installation to power of Corazon Aquino; and, the dramatic exit of the Estradas from Malacañang for a long, long vacation.
And now, in Western Visayas the truth and the real scores in the dismissal orders issued by the Ombudsman against the previous city mayor Monico Puentevella and the incumbent mayor, Evelio “Bing” Leonardia respectively… may the true truth through mass media and the real public opinion prevail.
Taken together, mass media is deemed the fourth branch of government. (delsocorrodaquila@gmail.com/PN)
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