Media et Mentes

The media provides first-hand information at doon madalas kunin ng mga tao ang trends, facts, etc
-Sarita Anna Kare Toledo, ABS-CBN News Anchor

the media played a big role in conveying what in the world is happening. All across the globe, we are
now free to get information thus building this complex web that links every aspect of mass media. With
it, unbiased information is disseminated.
-Teddy Morales Cambosa, Circulation Manager, The LATHE
President, Association of DOST-SEI Scholars
madaling maniwala ang tao lalo na kapag napapanood nila. And mass media tends to exaggerate or
sensationalize things just to hook up big numbers of audience
-Jason Banawa, Former ABS-CBN Editor and Cameraman

Media is the nervous system of culture. It coordinates the actions within a society and transmits
signals to and from different directions. As what Pope John Paul II once quoted, "There cannot be
forgotten the great responsibilities of mass media in promoting dialogue, becoming vehicles for
reciprocal knowledge, of solidarity and peace" The media plays a very vital role for societal
development as it promotes consciousness and customary awareness on prevalent events and
circumstances. Admit it or not, media indeed greatly influences human interaction. It not just affects our
perception of reality but indirectly control our sapience towards truth.

What's new on media nowadays? Political conflicts. But even the media per se is being subjected
to controversy over biasness and display of directed blind prejudice. There are even media companies
being condemned for reporting faulty information. Ironic. Oxymoronic. Amidst of their taglines vowing to
their mission of responsible and truthful journalism, their signals are vexing with controversy. The media
is the most powerful entity on earth as what Malcolm X said. They have the power to make the innocent
guilty and to make the guilty innocent. That's power. Because they control the minds of the masses. If
you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and
loving the people who are doing the oppressing. News are educated gossips. News are hearsays that
abled to wear corporate suits and diplomatic colognes. News could sometimes be misleading. Upon
watching the television, you have no idea whether the world is really getting worse or the reporters are
just working harder.

What's the challenge of this millennial issue? You can directly become a news reporter then
gloriously fight a whole Trojan army of media influential. Deliberate thinking, judgment and comparison
are necessary. It is our task to display a sense of awareness. A sense of concern. An avowal to investigate
and put things into interrogation. We should make ourselves knowledgeable enough not just with what
is trending now but also on the events of the past and plans of the future. I'm not telling you to become
an instant History geek nor a political analyst. A simple research will do as you try to weigh a current
issue. I'm happy if you're one of those mindful netizens who never attempted to burst out his angst just
because he read something he's not aware at the first place.

Media is definitely "fair". It is good and bad at the same time. It is beneficial and destructive. It's
truthful and controversial. We have no choice. It is still necessary. We should also keep in mind that it ' a
form of business. Monotony isn't a good headline. Let the receivers of this communication process be
mindful enough.