Sensationalizing

If there is one accusation against media, it is sensationalizing of news that do not contribute to the common good. The recent cases of the Tulfo-Santiago-Baretto rumble at the airport and the murder of Dr. Andres Gumban immediately come to mind.

It is true that Tulfo and Santiago-Baretto are high profile personalities but should too much air and, especially TV time be spent on them? The constant replays of the incident have reached the point ad nauseam, ignoring more important issues.

It has also raided the social media that the incident had reached the level of scandal. It is unfortunate for both camps and works adversely on each.

Tulfo’s background is being raked into the public domain and the behavior and character of Claudine Baretto is also hammered on by fans who have now declared they would boycott her shows.

The government had jumped into the fray and it suspended the Tulfo program causing their station to challenge the authority of the censor’s board.

The treatment this rumble is like beating a dead horse, as it were, and diverting national attention from more important issues.

So focused were the television networks on this incident that the economic and political stalemate in Europe that is already impacting on our lives, and the standoff with China that has now affected our export-import and tourism industry, are given little time for analyses and discussions on their repercussions in our national life.

Every morning, once we open our television sets, we are greeted with killings and man’s inhumanity to man. These murders are described in their gory details by radio while television clippings, though hiding some parts of their shots, nevertheless show the brutality and the blood and guts to make the viewers take notice.

It seems that our world is turning upside down, and human life and dignity are of no or little value any more.

The case of Dr. Gumban is brutal murder and the suspects were apprehended immediately, but instead of respecting the dignity of the deceased media dug up details of his life that have nothing to do with the killings or have little value to the case.

Since the culprits had been apprehended, of what value are the characters and behavior of the victim got to do with news reporting? This information is properly for police guidance in an investigation to look for the killers to determine the motive for the crime and for the courts to determine the gravity of the act.

Discussing and digressing on the life of the victim that had nothing to do with the search for solution degrades the dignity of the victim and insults the family of the deceased and adds only to their anguish. That is inhuman. As our elders would say, “never speak ill of the dead.” Displaying the hidden life of the deceased is to speak ill of him.

I agree that the listeners are entertained and the public love to listen to the gory and the debased, the ungodly and the forbidden but media should exercise restrain because their duty is not merely to inform but to educate as well and that education is for the betterment of man.

We have had many instances of this sensationalizing of the news especially when they involved gruesome murder or rape. There is a tendency by on the spot reporters and some “guest” stringers to maximize their exposure on the air by going into unnecessary details that oftentimes degrade the victims.

Unfortunately the KBP is unable to monitor all these kinds of reports and in the process the legitimate, professional media on air are lumped together in this kind of media coverage.

One of the causes of this sensationalism is the race of media, particularly radio for “ratings” that advertisers use to decide where to place their commercials.

In more ways than one, the advertisers and their agents are the culprits in this rating game. Rather than placing their commercials in good and uplifting programs to help educate our people on what is good, what is beautiful and what is true, they tend to give their money to the stations that are engaged in sensationalism.

This kind of sensationalism has, in fact, invaded the social media – Facebooks and Blogs or the digital media have already been shown to be more abused than used for the common good.

So dangerous has digital media become that governments are now looking for means to control them. Gate keepers are being formed in many countries and security measures are being established, including monitoring because of the abuse of this wonder of the modern social communications.

There is some difficulty here because this “control” must be balanced in favor of free speech. The final arbiter of the preponderance of sensationalism or discipline in use of media is the public.*

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