Newsprint, journalism and democracy
YELLOW was the color of rebellion; red, of power — yellow was in the sky but there was no red that shed on the ground. The people tore the yellow pages of phonebooks and threw them as confetti in celebration of the victorious peaceful revolution. On Feb. 25, 1986, the Filipinos were triumphant in restoring democracy in the Constitution. What was called “the bloodless revolution” that ended the 21-year-long dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, EDSA People Power Revolution marked the Filipinos as a strong and truly democratic nation.
The free press was silenced. That’s when Martial Law began its show of control and power. On Sept. 22, 1972, the day after the proclamation of Martial Law, through the Letter of Instruction No. 1, news publications — Daily Mirror, Graphic, Manila Chronicle, Manila Daily Bulletin, Manila Times, The Nation, Philippine Daily Express, Philippines
Herald, Philippine Free Press, as well as wire agencies — were ordered closed. The following day, editors and journalists were among the first people detained for questioning in military camps.
“Among the lessons of the period was that a free press could be a means of mass empowerment. That empowerment would be achieved among other means through the information that a free people need so they can make decisions about their governance and the issues that affect their lives,” wrote Prof. Luis V. Teodoro.
The integral role of the free press was to circulate information to the public and maintain the awareness of Filipinos with regards to national concerns and issue — the needs of the people and the decisions of those in power. ALTERNATIVE PRESS
On Oct. 28, 1972, former President Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 33 “penalizing printing, possession and distribution of leaflets and other materials, and even graffiti which ‘undermine the integrity of the government’.” Freedom of expression was killed.
During the Martial Law period, journalists looked for other means to disseminate information and reach the consciousness of Filipinos. Hence, media such as leaflets, brochures, Xerox journalism — an outsider’s perspective consisting of news clippings from foreign publications about the real state of the Philippines — were secretly circulated.
“What could not be published formally was published clandestinely — in the form of leaflets, pamphlets, flyers, etc. These were important to the enhancement of critical thinking,” shares Ninotchka Rosca, one of the journalists who were detained during the Martial Law period. She is now an writer, activist and feminist based in New York City.
In a way, maintaining newsprint — even underground — was a way of holding onto democracy in a country under dictatorship. It was a space of freedom that time that can be folded and kept safe like hope in the pocket.
“Historically, the first progressive union in the Philippines was the Union de Impresores de las Pilipinas — a union of the people who worked in printing presses and was the other half of the process of bringing information to the people and enabling them to gauge the doings of their leaders. That should underscore the urgent role of journalism to the country,” Rosca continues.
Just like La Solidaridad and the novels
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, the alternative press evened out the power play between the masses and the seat of power — ensuring the masses were informed especially in times of unrest. Once armed with knowledge, the revolution for the truth began.
Alternative press triggered the people’s passion for the truth. As long as newsprint circulated, democracy prevailed.
“Democracy is both engagement in
and benefiting from political discourse that creates social and economic ( r) evolution meant to enable the survival of humanity — in all the nuances of the words ‘being human’,” Rosca says.
Newsprint is an evidence of democracy. Some fear the death of newsprint as a medium for journalism because of the dawn of technology such as the internet, it is interesting to note that during the Great Depression in the US, newspapers never laid off journalists. Although, many American newspapers folded to open the new pages of digitization, in a country like the Philippines, traditional media would die slower or not at all. It is because of the existing limitations such as internet access for many and credibility.
Furthermore, traditional media in the co u n t r y, especially newspapers, will never cease to be relevant in society, politics as well as the economy and the arts. Living in a rather more peaceful time today, the role of print media has evolved with the changing needs of our time. More than an avenue for free speech, it has become an commercial platform for advertisers as well as a stage for creative executions, entertainment and leisure — peace in our time can afford such space for ( re) creation beyond that of reporting and opinion.
The daily headline is a bold expression of freedom that is fearless of the consequences of knowing and proclaiming the truth. Newspapers are honest reflections and witnesses of our time. And as long as the younger generation continues to take interest in this traditional form of media, newspapers will never cease to exist in newsstands, libraries, and sidewalks. There’s no stopping the press.