03 May 2021 is “World Press Freedom Day[1]” and worldwide, more than the men, women journalists are celebrating. For Filipinas, the big news is our very own Pinay journalist Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler, received her “World Press Freedom Prize for 2021” yesterday, Sunday.
At the same time, the women journalists are bewailing the fact that they have become victims of harassment of one kind or another, not to mention threatened rape or imprisonment. Actually, sorry to say this, but it’s the women journalists who are endangering themselves!
About my title quote, I say, “Access to what is key.” If you ask Maria Ressa, she will reply, “Access to the facts.” The dream of every journalist – access to the facts. I shall call their practice Truth Journalism.
And Frank A Hilario’s kind he calls THiNK! Journalism. The THiNK! part comes from Zig Ziglar, and I ask a series of questions to myself. The first: “Is it True?”
If True, is it Helpful?
If Helpful, is it Inspiring?
If Inspiring, is it Necessary?
If Necessary, is it Kind?
If Kind, go write ahead!
Let me note that my THiNK! Journalism, though not in name, officially began on 16 April 1975, or 45 years ago, when I was employed by the Forest Research Institute (FORI), where I became the founding and Editor In Chief of 3 FORI publications: monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical journal Sylvatrop, and quarterly color magazine Habitat. Yes, that is all in forestry – but you see, a journalist is a jack of all trades, a master of some.
In 2005, I began contributing to the digital American Chronicle. When that US-based media expired for some reason, I began blogging on my topics of choice. In 2007, I began blogging for the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), which is mainly agriculture – and which fits my background as I am a BS Agriculture graduate of UP Los Baños.
THiNK! Journalism is my brainchild. I invented it 3 years ago, on 22 October 2017 – see my essay “Think! Journalism: Calling For Nobler Kinds Of People In Media[2]” (24 October 2017, Creative Thinkering, blogspot.com).
Why am I discussing my kind of journalism? Because I pity the world’s beautiful lady journalists – they do not realize that they themselves are actually the ones asking for trouble! Because they are just after the Truth and do not think some more.
I shall continue to think & write for Filipino farmers & fishers, especially those below the poverty line. Today I invite journalists all over the world, male & female, to practice THiNK! Journalism, where Truth is only the Start. For Maria Ressaand her Rappler media group, I am prescribing the medicine with the commercial name of THiNK! which is good for the Body, Mind and Spirit.
All for the glory of God and the welfare of the Filipino people, especially in these islands the millions of farmers and fishers whose lives are deprived and destitute!@517
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