LAST week the BusinessMirror was the only Philippine media outfit to take part in an international media tour of Taiwan.
I had the privilege of joining members of the press from Canada, Japan, Mexico and South Korea, as we met senior government officials, top corporate executives and their very friendly people for six days.
The trip was an eye opener. It was very educational. I can truly say that those were very productive six days.
During my stay in Taiwan, our group from the media, the five of us, formed a bond. We talked about our countries culture, destinations and way of life.
Along the way, I decided to take it a bit further. I told them that I want to interview each of them and see how they, as individuals, function as members of the press. It was a fun way to compare notes.
You see, I learned back in college that the power of the press is like a flaming sword and that whoever is part of it should make sure to hold it high and guard it well. It is a statement I will always hold on to.
It is the same message I have been imparting to the college students I have had the pleasure of working with over the years as they go through the process of creating their own school newspaper.
The press is such a powerful entity. It can influence people. Even as it can create so much goodwill and positive impact, it also has the power to bring down governments, companies and individuals.
Never for one instance should the integrity of the press and individuals working in it be questioned. Everything the press does should never be doubted. It should always be aboveboard.
The press should never ever take sides. As I was told when I was starting in the newspaper business—We are here to tell the story. Get every side of the story and let the public form its own judgment based on what it has read.
But getting to where I am now is really a surprise to myself. I never expected to be part of the media. When I was in grade school I wanted to be a scientist.That later evolved to me wanting to be a computer programmer or a record producer.
But then CNN came along and it changed the way I looked at the media. Sure, I grew up watching Harry Gasser and his contemporaries on local channels, but CNN was way different.
The way I saw it then with Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Mann, Wolf Blitzer and Larry King, there was more to a story than the story itself. You could dig deeper, much deeper. You could go on an adventure in your search for the whole story. It was swashbuckling.
CNN formed my foundation. Writing news articles changed from just talking about the “who,” “what,” “where” and “when.” It became to more about the “why” with each paragraph that I write.
Then, I also follow the dictum that when a dog bites a man, it is not news. But when a man bites a dog, it is news. My old editor early in my career also imparted an important lesson to me—there is always a story every day in whatever beat you are covering.
From what I gathered from our group that included The Korea Times Digital News Desk staff reporter Kim Bo-eun, Mexican news agency Notimex Director of International News Olga Ojeda Lajud, Kyodo News editor Norihisa Makino and Canada’s The Province deputy editor Fabian Dawson, there are a lot of similarities in the way we work.
Bo, as I fondly call her, also found her calling late in the game. Bo told me that she only seriously considered working for the media after she graduated from college with a degree in international studies.
Bo said that she has long work hours because they handle the breaking news section for their media outfit. She is very competitive and they love to go after sensational news items. She said The Korea Times is the leading English-language newspaper in South Korea.
Bo, who covers a wide range of subjects, said she intends to remain part of the media for the meantime.
Olga, who has been a member of the media for the past 30 years, has been involved with the print media, radio and television in various capacities. She has covered a whole gamut, from the stock market to politics.
An Emmy Award winner for her work on border issues, in partnership with the University of California, she now has 70 reporters working for her in Notimex.
Olga said she never gets bored with her job and being part of the press is like a drug that she could never live without. And yes, she still works long hours.
As for Maki, his work for Kyodo News at times could be very long. He said there would be days where he is already at work at 6 a.m. and then only go home by 11 p.m.
It is one of the drawbacks for Maki, who longs for nothing than to see his wife and 2-year-old-daughter after his workday is done. However, he lives and breathes the life of a reporter and, just like Bo, he cannot stop from looking at his e-mails even at home.
Maki searches, researches, writes and edit stories. He told me that his main motivation is to provide a voice to society and what they are encountering in their lives.
He also wants to remain part of the media for the long term, but admits that lately his family is making him think a lot about his situation.
Last, Dawson, from all accounts is the most similar to how the Philippine media works. He is aggressive and asks pointed questions. Just like Filipino reporters, he is also looking for specifics to the stories he writes.
Dawson said he is changing the way news is being written by allowing their reporters to write on a first-person point of view. He claims that, just because the majority of the press does it in another way, it doesn’t mean that they are correct.
Over the past several years Dawson said he has diversified his work by also getting involved in other interests.
In those six days we became friends. I found out that we have a lot in common.
I made a promise that this castaway who could, at times, be lost at sea would love to see them all again. They are a special group of people.
For comments, suggestions, and reactions, I can be reached atraalzona@yahoo.com.