One classic example given in class on how media can make things worse is the Manila hostage taking that happened years ago.Many critics, including myself, believe that the media took a very improper decision when they covered the arrest of the hostage-taker's brother when there is a clear possibility that the hostage-taker had access to live news through the television inside the bus. This may have triggered him to kill more hostages.
Another example of how easy access to media such as the internet can worsen an issue is the current form of online protest. I've been seeing a lot of complaints about how our current president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino is occupied by things that are not for the public's best interest or how he ignores issues that need immediate attention. Their words imply how lenient PNoy is at a time of great crisis that worsens each and every day. They even came up with a term "noynoying" which is supposed to be used as a verb that means: letting time pass doing nothing or ignoring important problems. Well, I don't think he's not doing his best to find ways to improve life for his people. Clearly, the path our economy takes must say something about his efforts.
It is really ironic how foreign people trust our leader more than his own people do. A lot of news everyday attest to how large investments from foreign businessmen come to our country. These investors would not even give our country a single gaze if they do not believe in the credibility of our leader.
We have learned in our macroeconomics class that the inflation rate and the unemployment rate of a country has a negative relationship. It means that when an economy would like to lower the aggregate level of prices of the basic needs, they can choose to let unemployment increase. However, in certain situations, inflation can decrease without unemployment having to increase. If people believe that inflation would not rise and the economy would be stronger, they would not bargain for their wages to increase, the cost of production would not increase and the prices set by the producers would also not increase. One can only imagine how much the total perception of a nation of its economy can actually change the direction it actually takes. Wrong speculations can damage our economy gravely and would harm investors' confidence.
There really is nothing wrong with expressing one's opinion on an issue and exercising one's right to question the government. People should not forget, however, that whatever they say or post online can affect how other people, may they be Filipinos or foreign men, perceive our country and the economy. Perception greatly determines how people act.
On the other hand, the "noynoying" protest may have some good effects on how PNoy may run the government for the rest of his term. This could become a challenge for him to change the perception of his critics. In these matters, it is important that media practitioners and those who use media to provide information to the public try their best to avoid biases when presenting information.
No comments:
Post a Comment