JGL Eye

By Joseph G. Lariosa

CHICAGO, Illinois (JGLi) – I once asked my teacher in journalism that if a journalist notices that a protestor  is about to commit suicide by burning himself, should the journalist stop the attempt?

My teacher, a Black American, stopped for a moment and told me, “I don’t think so.”

It just occurred to me that if you stop the guy from going forward with his protest by dousing the fire engulfing the protestor with water, he will not be able to send the message of his protest and I will become an “advocate journalist” or something, instead of being an objective journalist, who is supposed to be detached from ones surroundings when covering a news event.

But after the self-immolation, what does the journalist do? Call 9-1-1 so the firemen can douse the fire completely and the police can conduct an autopsy? Or just wait and observe until somebody else makes the call and act as a Good Samaritan?

One school of thought says that the journalist should just say a prayer for this man and his family instead of rejoicing this man’s demise.

On the other hand, one journalist would say that the community should rejoice because the self-immolation sent a message to the community that cannot be ignored.

Mr. Marquez says,  “The bigger tragedy of a community suffering from the abuses of a few, this fallen man included, would hopefully come to a halt. I rejoice for the lessons we all could derive from this big triumph of a few courageous Filipinos who stood against what might be a well-entrenched league of cheaters.”

 It seems that it is very hard to take a position on this polar question. This kind of scenario came to mind following the case of Mr. Ben Menor, a Filipino American who pleaded “no-contest” to Count 1 – a felony –filing false financial statements that could earn him three years of jail time.

One observer, Mr. Rey Villar, Jr., of Chicago, in our online discussion said that the better part of discretion is for the community to say a “prayer for this (fallen) man and his family.”

On the other hand, a journalist, Mr. Romy R. Marquez, out of San Diego, California, said that the community should “celebrate” because “justice has been served. … the community has been rescued from this fallen man and his cohorts. … the bigger tragedy of a community suffering from the abuses of a few, this fallen man included, would hopefully come to a halt. I rejoice for the lessons we all could derive from this big triumph of a few courageous Filipinos who stood against what might be a well-entrenched league of cheaters. I may say a prayer for this fallen man but I have no sympathy for him. He deserves some time in jail if only to tell him how much we despise his acts and of those who collaborated with him. My sympathy, whatever its worth, goes to his family.”

Between these two positions, I am inclined to celebrate the lessons learned from this tragedy because keeping it to ourselves in prayer and not talking about it is like sweeping the dirt under the rug.

Mr. Jose finds nothing wrong with Reyes’ style of journalism for as long as he is able to get his “message across” to the community.

 And this reminded me of the old school journalism, a colleague Jesse Jose, had brought up. Mr. Jose said that a community activist in the person of Mr. Bobby Reyes, who has been running the Ben Menor stories, using “slogans” and “polemics” might be guilty of “attack journalism” instead of “advocacy journalism” but Mr. Jose finds nothing wrong with Reyes’ style of journalism for as long as he is able to get his “message across” to the community.

This prompted Mr. Villar to post criteria of “Advocacy Journalism” as enumerated by Advocacy Journalist Sue Careless (no pun intended) in an address to the Canadian Association of Journalists in April 2000. The Advocacy Journalists, Ms. Careless said, should follow these rules: 

1.)  Acknowledge your perspective up front.

2.)  Be truthful, accurate, and credible. Don't spread propaganda, don't take quotes or facts out of context, "don't fabricate or falsify", and "don't judge or suppress vital facts or present half-truths"

3.)  Don't give your opponents equal time, but don't ignore them, either.

4.)  Explore arguments that challenge your perspective, and report embarrassing facts that support the opposition. Ask critical questions of people who agree with you.

5.)  Avoid slogans, ranting, and polemics. Instead, "articulate complex issues clearly and carefully."

6.)  Be fair and thorough.

7.)  Make use of neutral sources to establish facts.

Ms. Careless’ criteria, indeed, may be worth emulating. But I still believe in telling whatever I can gather and live by  the mantra of one of my role models, a Chicago journalist, Finley Peter Dunne, who says, "it is the role of a newspaperman to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)

Joseph G. Lariosa
P.O. Box 805072
Chicago Il 60680-4112
Telefax 773.283.5986