The Problem with Journalism

I have always wanted to be a part of the media ever since I was a kid. There have been ups, downs, downs, downs… and ups in my in again and out again participation in this industry. 


For over a year now, I have been working as a social media staff of one of Cebu’s beloved dailies. Sure there has been a lot of stress in this kind of job (translate: trolls) but at the end of the day, work is just work for me. 

In the past few months, news stories about people getting killed either by authorities or by unknown assailants have become part of my almost daily routine. The otherwise gory sight of a person bathing in his own blood has become the new status quo. I, a person who is quite afraid of blood, do not flinch at the sight anymore. 

But tragedies hit hardest when they are close to home. 

Morning of March 30, while I was doing routine posting, my mother texted me that the woman who was reportedly killed near a mall in Talisay City was actually my cousin. 

I sounded surprised at the news. It’s surreal. It’s shocking. 

I informed the assigned reporter in the area. I also contacted my cousin abroad and we discussed about a few things. Somehow, it just doesn’t easily sink in.

I called up the police station and the desk officer gave me the information I needed. It was routine work supposedly, only that I wanted so bad to press more questions that would have given away my relationship with the victim. And I can’t. 

So I wrote the story, out of the details that the police gave me. I submitted it to our online editor and it was published. Yes, the story was credited under my name. And if it had been a different one, I would be fine about it, happy even. Only today, what was routine work became a test of professionalism. 

The problem with journalism is you strive to balance information even if your heart tugs you.

The problem with journalism is you try your best to give the details you gather, which may be accurate or not (depending on how truthful your sources are), and hope that people find it useful. 

The problem with journalism is that journalists strive to deliver the truth even if sometimes, it means dealing with their own emotions and prejudices.

I learned today that there is no such thing as “immune” when it comes to news. 

Journalists/people in the media are human after all. 

But perhaps, the biggest thing I’ve learned today is how death, no matter how imminent it seems, prepares no one.