The newsmen of yesteryears

The difference between United States President Donald Trump and our very own President Digong Duterte is in the use of social media. Duterte admitted he has no Facebook account. ‘No I still do not know how to use Facebook. Somebody just give updates. I don’t even know the meaning of tag me’. (You commonly hear that whenever people take group-fies or selfies). Meanwhile, Trump will not allow a day without posting through the Twitter and issue a daily dose of sometimes sarcastic comments on issues and on some persons. That’s why he oftentimes gets into trouble.

In this digital age, in the age of the millennials, the common saying is ‘speed is the name of the game’. Pity people who are not literate with computers and modern gadgets. They are missing a lot. These gadgets are easy to learn. Let your grandchildren teach you. They are tech savvy. My grandson Choby S. Pelayo is my teacher. For writers in how to use them is a necessity. Sending my columns to this paper is being done by a mere flick of a finger through email. Same thing on my columns on Filipino Journal based in Manitoba, Canada published by my former UST Philosophy and Letters classmate Rod Cantiveros who is now based in Canada.

Retro. I remember when I was starting as a reporter. Those were the years when computers and today’s gadgets were not in use. No fax machines either. There were teletype machines though, but were commonly used by wire agencies. You either send your stories by long distance through press collect, or go to the publication office and submit your stories. OMG. Sending your stories before the desk’s deadline was a big problem for provincial correspondents.