The social relevance of Church-owned radio
Reporting the truth
According to the Communio et Progressio, every communication must comply with the “essential requirements” of sincerity, honesty and truthfulness. “A communication must state the truth,” it says simply.
The objective of reporting the truth is certainly not new. Nor is it exclusive to Church-owned media channels. Professional journalism upholds the truth as both a standard and an obligation. “Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth,” say Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in their book The Elements of Journalism.
For Church-run media, however, truth is more than a professional imperative or a standard. In carrying out its duties as a news medium, a Catholic radio station is “morally obliged” to tell the truth, says Fr. Cyrain Cabueñas, former director of DYVW, an AM radio station owned and run by the Diocese of Borongan in Eastern Samar. He emphasizes, “Since we are Catholic media, it’s almost a guarantee that we will present the truth.”
This is crucial in an area such as Borongan, where the only other radio station is run by the government. The responsibility to monitor public officials and the way they do their job is solely DYVW’s. This is also the case in Abra. According to Arnel Adriatico of Bangued, Abra-based DZPA, Abrenians view the province’s lone radio station, DZPA, as a “sumbungan”—a venue to air grievances and complaints about local officials or community life in general. Adriatico says broadcasting these issues keeps the officials on their toes. “If you don’t broadcast the issues, nothing happens!”
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