In On the Job: The Missing 8, eight journalists working for a provincial newspaper suddenly go missing. They were buried in an empty lot, in a giant hole dug out using a yellow, hulking backhoe.
It is “inspired by true events,” but truth really is stranger than fiction because the Ampatuan Massacre of 2009 involved 58 journalists and not just eight people–massacred by a ruling powerful clan in Maguindanao.
Erik Matti’s movie cuts deep, portraying the deeply-entrenched corruption in the country, and the difficult, almost surreal world that some journalists are forced to move around in, some as enablers of people in power or frustrated, helpless crusaders trying to change the world one story at a time.
The film does not exaggerate with its message, and for sure, Filipino journalists, especially those in the provinces - where the situation is even more difficult, will see themselves in it; and far beyond. Because the truth is, real life doesn’t end after six episodes.
In the real world, journalists have to battle it out everyday – in the field, in the newsroom, in press conferences, in front of the computer; with the powers-that-be, with the people we cover, with funders, and with the neanderthals banging inside our heads.
The Ampatuan Massacre happened a long time ago, but threats against journalists continue; it’s even worse in the provinces.
A great time for journalism
It is, therefore, a victory for journalism, not just in the Philippines, but in the world over, that the Nobel Committee awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to two journalists, the Philippines’ Maria Ressa and Russia’s Dmitry Muratov, who both use their respective platforms to tell the truth despite the difficult if not cruel conditions.
Here and in Russia, some feel there are others more deserving of the award; Vladimir Putin’s opponent, opposition leader Alexei Navally, for example, for fighting state corruption in Russia; or the World Health Organization (WHO), which has been guiding us through this cruel global health pandemic.
But I look at this year’s win as a win for journalism itself, as what Muratov said when he heard the news, according to The New Yorker.
“It’s us,” said Muratov, editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, when he broke the news to his staff, referring not to himself and Maria Ressa, but to himself and the staff of the paper, The New Yorker said.
Their win shows the world the situation of journalism, and hopefully, it will encourage more freedom-loving organizations to support journalism and journalists in the Philippines and Russia, and elsewhere in the world.
Community journalists in the country, who are far from all the Nobel fanfare, are among those facing the biggest challenges – low pay, intimidation, lack of funding etc.
ABS-CBN
During a forum about ABS-CBN’s shutdown some months ago, I listened to those who used to work in the company’s regional offices. Some are now working as washers, eking out a living by doing laundry for other people or as messengers and drivers for ride-hailing companies. These are no doubt decent jobs, but for those who found their calling in journalism, this isn’t what they want to do.
Fake news, disinformation
Another challenge is the spread of fake news and disinformation. There’s just too much of it the past years, as dictators and tyrants use this as their tool to stay in power.
Trolls have attacked many journalists to silence and demonize them, and yet, against this backdrop, journalists wake up each day to report to work.
Prize money
In The New Yorker article, Muratov said the prize money would go to causes the paper has been supporting – children with spinal muscular dystrophy, for instance.
But I hope that in the Philippines and Russia, or elsewhere in the world, the prize money would also find its way to causes that will elevate the state of journalism. After all, there’s no denying that journalists have helped highlight the threats faced by both Ressa and Muratov.
These can be in the form of training programs, funding for independent journalism, support for troubled media organizations, decent pay for journalists, and better working conditions.
In this day and age, journalism needs all the help it can get. It is after all an important part of democracy.
Tyrants
The last time the Nobel Peace Prize was given to a journalist was in 1935, when it was awarded to Carl von Ossietzky, a German journalist and opponent of Nazism, who was imprisoned by Hitler.
That the award was again given to journalists now speaks volumes on the increasingly adverse conditions faced by the press in this day and age.
But tireless journalists carry on and this is what tyrants and dictators keep on forgetting – that for every move to silence a journalist, a newspaper or a television station, a thousand other voices will continue to ring loud in the airwaves and in cyberspace, or scream from the newsstands.
Iris Gonzales’ email address is eyesgonzales@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at eyesgonzales.com