Line held

Journalist and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa recently bagged the Nobel Peace Prize along with a Russian journalist for their exemplary work in the fight for press freedom. Ressa, has been known for her strength and spite towards the current administration with a body of work within different outlets that embody genuine journalism. Her recent feat being standing up against a libel case lodged against her. She held the fort for the truth in their story and did not succumb to the bullying of the president.

Yet a lot of those who think they know better do not agree that Ressa deserved to win the prize. For national artist, F. Sionil Jose, Ressa did not to prove that there is indeed a press freedom situation in our country. Others who did not agree are those who are best known for siding with the administration such as Jam Magno, who claims to be a heavy influencer on her platforms. Now, their dissenting opinions may be their right of expression but there are facts that they seem to have overlooked.

The shutdown of ABS-CBN and Ressa's case was a sweeping message to all members of the media that those governing us could break the watchdog's back. However they try to downplay the issue of press freedom in both incidents, the chilling effect could not be denied. If we take a critical analysis of the media and its reportage, there are now less strikes against the current administration and more of a public relations version of the stories. They are all "he said, she said", with little to no effort to dig deeper by probing questions and sourcing for legitimate documents. We live in a world where Tiktok and YouTube are more credible than the writings of those who actually earned a degree to do their jobs. It is sick as hell.

To some point I am proud of Ressa's win, especially as she is the first Filipino to grab this coveted award, and a woman at that, but I do hope the organizer's intentions of honoring her are also pure. This could be just some hype or pity for us as a people, and to her as a journalist. We might be finding our views of her win in our little chambers where we do not see all the sides of the story. However, I am sure that her win is a wakeup call that the best time to be critical as a journalist is now.

Ressa, in an interview, said her win is for all the journalists who have experienced oppression in their work. To be frank, this isn't a glamorous world but one that poses a big risk to one's life. I always tell my students the truth that this isn't for the faint of heart. A Nobel Peace Prize may change their mindset on journalism but it should not be their goal. What the young should focus on now is how to work like a true-blooded journalist.