Rule of Thirds
fmonfort@theguidon.com
We all know that whatever our government does, in one way or another, it will affect us. From the different projects that it implements to its use the nation’s money, everything they do has a bearing on society, especially its illegal activities. The bribes our government gives out, the scams that it organizes, and its many other corrupt and unjust practices have a greater and more significant impact. And a lot of these has been happening and has been revealed lately.
Knowing that our government has such an effect on our lives, I think it is important to ask how we are connected to it. How do we know about its different projects, its allocation of budget, and others? How do we know about the illegalities it does?
The obvious answer it that we are connected so through the media. News articles printed in the Inquirer and in the Star, reports broadcast on TV Patrol or 24 Oras, and news bulletins in various radio stations are just among the many ways we are connected, by information, to our government. But are we really connected? Or, the more important question, I think, is, do we connect ourselves?
As a people, it is important to be active when it comes to our relationship with our government. We can’t live our lives as if the government is separate from it. We can’t allow ourselves to think that it is okay to not care about what happens in government. Instead, we should be participants. We should be proactive towards it, and not passive.
It is then the responsibility of people to keep themselves informed. And we can do that through using and consuming the media.
I find myself guilty of being irresponsible when it comes to the media I consume. During the rare times that I find myself watching the TV, I don’t even consider tuning into news programs like TV Patrol and 24 Oras, more so the thought of watching ANC, BBC, and CNN just to catch up on the news. I just don’t find myself caring enough and would much rather be watching entertainment on TV.
What kind of media do we Ateneans consume? Do we read the newspaper’s news section? Do we regularly watch the news on TV? Do we even read news in The GUIDON? The most important question here, though, is that whether we make an effort in keeping ourselves informed, keeping ourselves knowledgeable about the world around us. Because whether we like it or not, we are a part of it as much as it is a part of us?
The first step in participating in our society is to be informed with what is happening. The more we know about it, the more we can know what we are supposed to do. With this knowledge, we can also actively participate by voicing out our ideas and our views towards what is happening. How can we ask a president with so many immoral deeds if we don’t even know what she has done? How can we complain about policies when we don’t have any idea what they are even about? Knowledge is indeed power.
Read the newspapers. After checking out the Sports or the Entertainment section, you might want to read even just the banner article. While watching TV, you might want to spend a few minutes on a news program just to get an idea of what happening. In between checking your mail and updating your Facebook, why not visit Inquirer.net or the ABS-CBN news website?
Read, watch, and listen. Care.
