The Damage has been Done

I am not really an ABS-CBN viewer. But I found the article very interesting and informative. I must admit that it is worth reading.

I have heard a lot of rumours of how they say ABS-CBN handles news stories. It is negative. Some say they can be paid to change stories in accord to their interest. Some says that they have been an ally of the Arroyo administration. These things have greatly affected my view about the News and Current Affairs of the station.

I agree to what the author said in this article that no matter how hard they try to explain their side, some people will still remain unconvinced. It is a sad truth especially in the media industry that how easily a rumour spread is the total opposite of how it can vanish. Sometimes people will see your explanations as alibis even if you are really telling the truth.

I believe that a lot of television networks nowadays run as a business. It is a fact. I think this is a great factor that affects how its owners and its employees act. Their actions will be for the best interest of the station. Anything that will ruin the good reputation of the company to present and potential partners should be eliminated. This is even at expense of the truth that they should always hold on to.

Even if explanations were laid before me about what had really happened during those times that ABS-CBN is accused of doing things for the benefit of the Lopez’s, I myself is not convinced completely. I don’t know why. But having a background of how dirty the media industry could be makes me think that a lot of things worse than I am thinking is happening without the knowledge of the public on it.

I think that it is really a challenge for ABS-CBN to uphold their image and integrity for future success. I mean, being on top, there is no way to go but down. What is adding a lot of pressure in their part is the big group of companies it is related with.

No one can really please everybody even ABS-CBN. I hope that what is written in the article is true. This topic gives an important challenge to all of us who are pursuing a career in the mass media industry--- to be responsible in an enormous power given to us.

Sexual Advertising: One Step to Culture Degradation

                   Having read the title of the video, it initially created a bit of curiosity on my mind, on what the video would like to impart to its viewers and why is it entitled Killing us Softly. I got more interested to the video when I found out that it is all about “Advertising’s Image of Women”. For a long time now, a certain question has been bothering me; and that is how come advertising nowadays is becoming very liberated even to the extent that they are not focusing on the product anymore but much effort is being exerted on what kind of “strategy” are they going to do just to get the attention of the people; and eventually these advertising strategy are sometimes damaging already to our culture. I was amazed on how Jean Kilbourne came up with this lecture that really served as a mind opener to the people especially to the women. I agree with everything that Kilbourne said in her lecture. As a woman, I realized that women nowadays are being deprived of their right to respected, and are treated very differently compared to how women are being treated in the past especially in our country. A question quoted by Kilbourne in her lecture “What does it mean to be a woman in this culture” made me really think hard on how to answer it because being a woman in this culture and in this present generation, I can say that it’s very hard. Life has become so complicated compared to the way of life in the past. People now are very mindful on what they see around them and the world is following a certain standard that dictates on how a certain person or woman, specifically, could be acceptable in the society where she is living, and that is stereotyping just like what advertising is doing now. They are aiming for perfection, when there is really no such thing as perfect. As what Kilbourne said, “Advertising tells us who we are and who we should be”. Some are fortunate to be included in the list of women acceptable in the society, some are unfortunate, making them feel insecure and ashamed. If a fat woman is advertising a certain product, people tends to judge the ad because of the size of the woman, which shows masculinity while on the other hand, if a thin figured woman would pose for a certain product, it would most likely be acceptable to the society. Just like what Kilbourne said, “There is much emphasis on how we look no matter what we do”. It suddenly saddened me when pornography is already being discussed, looking at a body of a woman being used as a beer bottle in an ad, the legs of a woman in a pair of scissor, figures of woman bodies sculpted in a glass, this is definitely an insult. Its very degrading that woman bodies are already turned into object, into things. Others may say it’s an art, but what really is their intention in doing all of these, is it really for the sake of art or something more is in the back of their minds the moment they are creating this.

The inequality between men and women in advertising is also very evident. Images that portrays man being in power and active and women being portrayed as inferior and passive. I agree with what Kilbourne said, “Men and women inhabit two different worlds; men don’t basically live in a world where their bodies are routinely scrutinized, criticized and judged whereas women do.” Women are prone to the judgment of the people more than the men.

Having all of these things presented to us, I can say that there should really be a change in the mass media. Things like these in advertising should not be tolerated just for the sake of selling. Our advertising industry can survive and can flourish even without these sexual and pornographic images or ads. We have to be mindful on what effect could it do especially to the women in our society. We must act not just as consumers but as citizens taking a share of responsibility on whatever these things can do to us and to our community.

FINALS!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT


MARCH 03 (Saturday)

March 03- Final Meeting. Reading Circles & Final Group Case Reports (This is 40 Points of your FINAL CP!), Review Quiz

 

MARCH 10 (Saturday)

FINAL EXAM

Kindly check your required readings here. 

FINAL PAPER DUE (30 points)
SELF-REFLECTIVE ESSAY
What do you consider the most important thing you
learned in MC 110? Why do you think this is the most
important? Be specific in the topics you found
interesting and state why. Relate these with your
career plans or plans for further study.

(Font TNR, 12, Spacing 1.5, max. 2 pages)
SUBMIT IN PRINTED FORMAT ON OR BEFORE
MARCH 10.

They are Used

Since I am not yet assigned to a particular practicum site, my interviewee is someone from the media industry I just know. A fresh grad of AB Mass Communication Major in Broadcast in Centro Escolar University, Ms. Joena Marie Manlangit, 21 years old, is from San Mateo Rizal. She is currently a researcher in GMA Network for the programs Reel Time, Motorcycle Diaries and Best Men.

I interviewed her over the phone because it is the best way to talk to her amidst her busy schedule as a researcher. I asked her about the Source-Reporter Relationship topic and I also tried to connect our conversation with what we are studying in Media Ethics.

I asked her how is it being a researcher, interviewing a lot of people, getting involve with many issues in life. She said it is hard. You have to be realìy good in public relations. You have to be charismatic but not sympathetic. You have to be knowledgeable of the people that you will meet. You should learn how to adapt to their way of life so that you may be able to get their sides easily. And no matter what happen you have to get the answers to your questions no matter what.

All along, I thought their subjects are paid in trade of their stories shared to a lot of people but they are not. She said that the company prohibits that because it adds bias to the scene. But she admitted that she gave money to some of her interviewees. She said it is unfair to them especially that their subjects all have compelling situations in life. In short, they belong to the poverty line. It is her way of bringing her thanks to them and she sees nothing bad about it.

She advised me that in this line of work. You should have a strong heart. There is no room for tears because the subjects might be affected if you will show them that. You should not be sympathetic. Maintain the source-reporter relationship. Do not go beyond that line or else something wrong might happen in the end. Like for example when she is working on the documentary entitled “Tulo Boys”. She developed friendship within them. But after the project, she was not able to sustain the communication and so her interviewees got mad at her in the end. At the end of the day, you were just a person who’s mission is to get the facts right and do not have the obligation to be in a good relationship with them even after the project.

She told me a truth I can never forget. Subjects in the stories are used. You use them to get what your job requires you to do. I asked her, ‘Do you think it’s ethical? She said it’s not. You became a user. Getting what you need to them and then leave them afterwards. But that is how business in this industry works. As for her, she makes this thing right, by giving something in return to the interviewees even if her company prohibits it. With this I remember the paradigm that I saw in our lesson, the thin line between a person’s professional ethics and moral ethics. And if I were ask if I would do the same, I would say yes.

In any job, ethical dilemmas are to be solved. It is indeed really important that all parties at stake are to be considered, not only the professional rules but also your moral obligations as well. I admire how Ms. Manlangit is able to deal with the usual problems as a researcher. As I see it, she tried her best to be a good employee and a citizen as well. It is a balance between two equally important things to her.

Women In Advertising

Advertising is everywhere. Women are really the most effective ingredient, when it comes to advertising. So now, every women is under the impression that they need to look good. Why, cause in advertising they don't just use a girl for their products they use girls, literally. Like, they were using the hair of a girl, the body of the other girl and the face of another. Imagine how advertising grew from decades ago. Companies really are taking this seriously more and more each year. As technology grows Advertising grows a well. Even your favorite celebrity that looks perfect for you are being turned better because of technology.

Women's self-esteem decreases as they are being influenced based on the things that they see on ads that they need to look good. Advertising is really using beauty to attract people. That's why they used celebrity or any popular personality to buy their products. It's really a good thing too see how our technology evolves. But I think we should keep in mind that we shouldn't be that affected in how we live or how we want to live. In advertising technology should really grow.

But in our society what should really grow? Is it our technology or our self-esteem? For me, I think our technology grows every minute, and every minute they create such things that we might need in our lives, but for the self esteem of the women? For me my answer is no, because every women who indulge themselves into fashion and glorify their favorite celebrities or model, i think through these women they lost their own identity and make themselves blind in advertising. And because of this behavior Jean Kilbourne said that it can lead to depression, low self esteem, and eating disorders for the women. 

Somehow, advertising can be a good purpose to us, but on the other hand there has this negative impact if we overuse it. And I'm pretty sure that as time goes by advertising changes as they explore the world of giving life on how to advertise their own product.

WOMEN AS THE TOPNOTCHERS OF ADVERTISING.. BUT...

Advertising as of today is obviously on to a step by step proceedings through modernization.

Advertising is the one of the smartest and influential way of promoting your products, goods, or even your bet in an election (just sayin’).The new generation of advertising creates a more twisting concepts and creativity that will give every consumer thinking.

The more they think of that product, the more they want to explore it, and in the end, they’ll purchase it. Advertising it is!

But in some other aspects of promotionals and advertisements, it is not sometimes the goods that is wavering around the mediums of media, it is the endorsers who gave impact to the products they were paid to endorse to.

For me the Women in this industry are the most effective product endorsers. They had the power to move the viewers through their unique style of promoting goods.

Some examples of women who dominate the advertising industry are Kris Aquino, Anne Curtis, Sam Pinto, Solenn Heusaff, and Lovi Poe.

As you see most of them are Ladies who has a sexy image to the public. They are the most powerful form of celebrities that can make all consumers buy the products they are endorsing.

For Kris Aquino, yes she is sexy in her own way too, but the others I have mentioned our really the new breed of local celebrities who use their sex symbol for the sake of making a big impact on the product.

In line with the movie that we watched at the MIR, Jean Killbourne’s “Killing us Softly”.

She explains all the types of media forms that we cannot see on what we are watching, reading, etc.

It is an eye opener to every one of us because in this business, the more you have the witty creativity, the more you should know your limits as well.

She added the women are the more consistent because it gets the viewers attention easily especially to men.

Yet some commercials have open up so much of their minds they forget the limitations of what they must offer only to the viewers. Not what they wanted to but what they must just put into it. Simple yet effective way and not to the extentof some vulgar and malicious scenery that would made the observers feel disturbed.

This is the new form of advertising, sexy women, sensual form of promotions, lusty minds of the viewers and in the end another big impact in the market.

RV Reporters: Unfolding Ethical Issues

“Broadcasters are like… Jack of all trades, master of none…” ---Mr Joey Collantes

This is just one of those insights that he gave which made an impact as I had this interview with him. Mr. Joey Collantes is one of the anchor/reporter at Radyo Veritas 846. He has been in the media industry for a long time he said. He started being an announcer and a field reporter at Radyo Patrol. I’ve been quite shocked by the fact that he is not actually a Mass Communication graduate instead he’s a Commerce Economics graduate of FEU. He has ventured the field of the Media industry because of his friend working at ABS-CBN who teased him to try to audition as a reporter which eventually became the start of his career in media.

As I asked him with his views and personal experience with regards ethical issues on source reporter relation he said that there is a lot of things that a Mass Communication graduate should know upon entering the world of media because he considers media people as “know-it-all” he added that not all who are in the media are graduates of Mass Communication but we as mass comm. students should know the law though we are not taking law, we should be aware of who is the secretary of the DOT though we’re not taking tourism, we should know about the epidemic diseases which is rampant in the country though we are not actually taking up medicine. That is the job of being in media he said, being versatile, flexible and prepared. He also said that there is a high expectation when it comes to those people who are graduate of mass communication that is why we should not settle for any mediocrity.

Ha also added ethical issues with regards getting a news story. Upon getting a story, “Be First, Be Right but Be Right first”. A story must not be aired if and when it is not confirmed because it is not proper. “Una ka nga nakakuha ng istorya pero mali naman yung ibinalita mo wala rin yun, sino mananagot? Di ba?” he said. Some stations are just protecting their own interests he added. Another is the inappropriate languages, anchors/reporters on radio are being grounded by the KBP guidelines with regards inappropriate languages however there’s no move being taken except to reprimand the reporter.

As we end our interview he said that not all mass comm. Students who will graduate will venture into the field of media but wherever we will be working soon is that we give our best and build a strong work ethics particularly on time management and being prepared on whatever our job may take us.

I also had a brief interview with Mr. Jemuel Go a reporter at radio veritas and professor at CEU teaching Media Management.

He has shared his views with regards ethics on the same issue of source reporter relation. He said upon gathering news story in Radio Veritas they are looking for a news which is newsworthy that will not violate the rules of the KBP and the rules and policy of radio station, if it did violate the rules of the two, because or bias is on the church, they will not air the story.

He added that in reporting the story, it will not stop there, there should be change, there should be an advocacy, and there should be values. As he said that information is essential to formation that leads to transformation. Follow rules and regulations, program policies, guidelines and media ethics so that you don’t have any problem with regards ethical issues that’s it, as we end our interview.