Significant and relevant government information

The crisis of journalism that we hear so much discussed in many media-oriented circles takes many forms. Many are rightly concerned about the closure of news organizations and the  struggle to keep journalist jobs open in the US. Others are concerned about the crisis of information which involves contradictory forces, the digital expansion of information platforms proceeding along the continuing inequity of access to the Internet. In smaller voices, there are those who express their perplexity about what to do with so much information flowing daily to their multiple portals, and the seeming failure to process the information so this can have meaning.

Indeed, the various communities in one country will respond to one or another of these developments in contradictory ways. But one thing is clear, those who need information most so they can better deal with the pressures of daily living are probably the least able to determine for themselves their information needs, much less, to access the information they require.

There is no one solution to the crises noted above, not even to just one problem.

One aspect was highlighted in the commentary following the State of the Nation Address delivered by President Benigno S. Aquino III last July 23. He talked about programs to alleviate poverty and assist the poorest of the poor and much of it was being heard for the first time on that occasion.

The situation reflects another set of contradictory forces in the media. Reporting on government is a primary objective of the free press, the watchdog function of the press being the most frequently acknowledged values of journalism in the Philippines. Hung-over from the extended period of Martial Law and the Marcos regime of media controls, the liberated press right after 1986 sharpened press instruments to be able to expose the negative, the failings of the new government as well as the emerging patterns of corruption in some areas of government. Government information or news about innovative programs and groundbreaking policies were generally regarded as just a lot of propaganda—news to make the administration look good, which the news organizations did not see fit to report.

The current absence or lack of information about RATS, RIPS, NHTS-PR and the latter’s different instruments tells us much about the strong hold of this attitude on the Philippine news media.
I will refer to Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Michael Tan, who is also a medical anthropologist and former dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the University of the Philippines Diliman, whose column on July 24 reviewed the above acronyms and more, marveling about how much he learned from the 2012 SONA Technical Report posted on Gov.ph. He is not prescribing swallowing it all as gospel truth, but he said, he “found the report, informative, sometimes picking up stuff that almost seems trivial but isn’t…” Such a source may prove a comprehensive resource for study and examination, something to share with those concerned about government performance, and as a lead for journalists looking for articles out of the usual box to discover some not-so-trivial issues.

Indeed how can one consider as trivial the government effort to identify the poorest households so they can be “targeted” for special outreach and assistance. Not perfect, at this point, a program that needs review and re-adjustment perhaps, as most government or non-government programs would require in order to adjust to change and new challenges. Unfortunately, the media have not given much attention to such information, apart from the controversial aspects of the conditional cash transfer program.

The view that government information is only propaganda has been sadly sustained by the administrations that followed regime change. Information officials were satisfied with the employment of PR and image boosting tactics of propaganda. But when government provides information without the usual propaganda “effects,”—the independent press should shake off this dusty outlook and serve as a conduit so people can know.

Remember that in an unfair world, those who need to know about these services do not have access to Internet and are in great need of information assistance so they can benefit from these services. The news media should see it as part of their function to include in the news agenda stories that will alert needy communities to these developments. Tabloids, radio talk show hosts, and other program segments on television should apply their well honed skills at popularization delivering significant and relevant information, courtesy of government.

Even more developed countries have not been able to fully equalize access to digital sources. The need to identify these gaps is a first task in the search for a resolution of the crises of information.  It is part of the ongoing struggle to make information truly a power to be shared in a democracy.

In our country, the mainstream press may be feeling the squeeze, but they are far from the kind of dismal fate that has already removed countless jobs in the US press and elsewhere in the West. The adjustment to a highly competitive field however is obvious in the diminishing ratio of editorial to advertising and news space and programs to entertainment.

There is generous space and time given to fluff and showbiz in all media formats. It is high time to re-visit media’s treatment of government information and consider what is relevant to those in need.