On UP Masscom Ex-Dean Luis V Teodoro & Media – He Is Wasting Its Power For Good On Its Power For Bad!

Is President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr one of the most unpopular Philippine President ever? Looks like. Unfortunately. Is current Philippine media as a whole the most unkind in the history of this republic? Looks like. Unfortunately!

The very title of the article by Ex-Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (Masscom) Luis V Teodoro published in his website “Luisteodoro.com” is most unkind: “That ‘Piece Of Paper’” (29 July 2022, Vantage Point, .luisteodoro.com) – IF implying about BBM’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA) this:

“Your SoNA is only worth the piece of paper it is written on.”
(image sources: “Never underestimate” from Amazon.com, amazon.com; “Media Bias” from Medium, Medium.com)

Don’t get me wrong – I voted for Leni Robredo, but I do support BBM as my President.

Mr Teodoro’s Masscom miser-piece is most unfortunate, as he subscribes to the doctrine that:

The main and/or only role of media is to be the purveyor of truth.

I call that Truth Journalism. Yes, Maria Ressa won the Nobel Peace Prize 2021 for that type of journalism. Yet, I must point out to all journalists that Truth Journalism does not even pass

The Rotary 4-Way Test:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Have our journalists never heard or read of the Rotary 4-Way Test?

Mr Teodoro’s piece begins with a negative:
The International Observer Mission that monitored the May 9 [elections] claims that [they were] neither free, fair nor honest.

It ends also with a negative:

It is government’s primary responsibility to defend the Constitution as the guardian and guarantor of the people’s and this country’s freedom, welfare and development. The past regime reneged on that responsibility. May the present one be more than aware of the need to respect, honor, and most of all, abide by it.

In terms of nation building, Mr Teodoro’s 1,250 words are nails hammered on the body politic itself and not food to help strengthen socio-political muscles.

Mr Teodoro dwells on the SoNA safety precautions taken by BBM, implying over-reaction:

Granted that because it puts the Executive and Legislative branches of government together in one venue, every President’s SoNA needs extra attention in terms of those participants’ and attendees’ safety. But does doing that really need almost two divisions of armed men for it to succeed, especially since the PSG themselves said that they knew of no threat against the person of Mr Marcos or of anyone else’s in government?

Mr Teodoro is communicating the details, not the wholes. He does not even try to summarize, much less interpret, those 1,250 words of BBM’s SoNA!

If you ask me, the proper role of journalism is as supporter for development, nay advocate. And that is why I call my journalism Communication for Village Development in the 21st Century (CoViD21) – CoViD21 calls for citizen participating, not fractioning; for construction, not distraction!@517