Beyond Objectivity

Patricio P. Diaz wrote a good column about community journalism in 2003 for MindaNews, a site about Mindanao. Some excerpts:

(1) "Journalism books discuss investigative reporting, science reporting, sports writing, etc. I remember that the Philippine Press Institute once conducted a seminar on ethnic reporting. Obviously, investigative journalism is just a technique of reporting. And so is development journalism.

"Whether there are distinctive branches of journalism or none is a concern fit for dissertation. For practicality, what matters is the focus of reporting and the benefit the focus can bring about."

(2) "The present reality is this: Through the press, radio and television, the people outside of Mindanao know about the Moro rebellion, the kidnapping and hostage-taking by the Abu Sayyaf and the Pentagon gang but are ignorant of the roots of the troubles to make them not see Mindanao in the right perspective.

"And worse, the world outside Mindanao sees only little, if any, of the much, much, much bigger portion of Mindanao not in trouble but enjoying peace and prosperity -- facts about Mindanao that when contrasted with the troubles can put Mindanao in a sharper and proper perspective."

I like the point in No. 2 particularly, because it's a complaint I often hear from non-journalists in the West, criticizing our news media: Isn't there ever any good news to report? It seems like everything is dark and dismal.

Also, the ideas of perspective and context are vital to journalism -- especially foreign correspondence and international news. When we read about an unfamiliar place, we should also be reading some contextual material that helps make it clear how the events came about. The practice of portraying certain conflicts as based in religious or ethnic differences, for example, when the real issue is an economic imbalance, is completely irresponsible.

(3) "The picture of Mindanao as the land of troubles -- not of peace and progress -- has come about because journalists are contented of reporting incidents solely based on sources -- the military, the police, the MILF, etc."

And this is a problem for journalism everywhere today, I think.