In the light of several reported cases of media kidnapping and killing, it is no laughing matter that the Philippine media is becoming a dangerous profession for those who are in the field, and even for those aspirants who dream to be part of the new breed of media men specifically us the students. In the midst of these bloody murders and dreadful acts of terrorists the media men can not do anything but to arm their selves for self defense and protection, for the purpose, that they may continue their democratic role in news delivery. Arming the media men means that they may perform their roles in the society with lesser barriers.
In the biggest scandalous media related violence of 2009 was the Maguindanao massacre, as ABS-CBN news journalist, Ira Pedrasa, reported that “the massacre of 57 civilians in Maguindanao shocked the whole world – news that further catapulted the Philippines high in the impunity index…” also according to the article of Aquiles Zonio of inquirer Mindanao, Mangudatu who felt very helpless from seeing the men of the Ampatuan’s around, believed that they would not be harmed if they have the company of the Media. In this case, Mangudatu was able to invite 37 media men. And all 37 of them were killed on that dreadful event as they were included in the convoy. This became an eye opener for lawmakers, making them believe that arming reasonable media men will be able to perform their roles courageously, however these media related violence would not be stopped by arming the media men alone, it is the Government that should start making a superior action regarding this matter.
The fourth estate plays one of the significant roles in our society. If the media men are not armed sooner, criminals will continue to cause harm and violence. Media men will have limits to what they can report on due to the threat on their safety. Arming the media men may not be the solution to this problem nevertheless it can still bring this issue one step closer to justice. The Government should not wait for more media men to be killed in the field before they take serious action.
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