I have been telling myself not to write anything about the Asian Tsunami disaster unless i have something intelligent to say. I've seen so many bimbo blogs that pray & urge people to donate. Hmmm, didnt want to appear corny & seriously, I want my blog to feel intelligent, like me. HA!! :D
I was reading Ong Soh Chin's article in The Straits Times today & i feel a compelling urge to speak up. Her article titled: Don't shoot the messenger reveals one of the biggest misunderstanding in their profession, just like any other.
Being a journalist, requires one to report any incidents & happenings, in its factual truth & of cos, minus all the opinions. One is supposed to deliver news; not to present the news through your eyes. Different people have different opinion on things, imagine who can you count on to give you facts & truth if journalists didnt do a good job. I've been a subscriber of our national daily since i was in Sec 3. That's a freaking 7 years already. Of cos, i have my favourite columnist, & no, it's not Sumiko Tan. It's Tay Yak Keak. And he's one hell of a funny man. Not ready to talk about him yet, maybe in time to come. Back to my original topic.
Ms Ong mentioned in her article that she was talkin to her friend about her impending trip to Sri Lanka to cover the story. And that her friend mentioned about a Sri Lankan friend who was at the disaster site & has since come back to SG. Ms Ong asked for the contact numbers of that Sri Lankan friend & her friend politely refused stating that she don't usually give out contact details to journalists.
We all can understand how one wants to protect their friends & that Ms Ong's friend specifically said that the friend is utterly grieved; hence, better to be left alone.
As a communications student here, I totally understand Ms Ong's intention. To get a better idea & view about things, which is the only way to cover a more realistic story. However, Ms Ong was offended by her friend. She was not being treated like a friend, but a journalist. Sure there are many despicable & lying black sheeps among the family which sometimes give journalists the bad name that they have always been called.
This brings me to my point. Alot of professions are actually widely misunderstood. Journalism being one of them. I am bound for Down Under to RMIT studing Communication majoring in Public Relations. It's really my calling (believe it or not! :p ) & when i tell people about my choice, they'll be wondering, why the hell do i need to spend so much money on tertiary education on something as worthless as PR?
GAWD. :-||
Tell me what you know about Public Relations. Maybe one or two out of the ten people that i ask can something remotely near to what PR is all about. People think its just attending parties & mingling around doing some bimbo stuff.
The freaking truth is: Public Relations is really a very intelligent profession. So much so that normal people cant grasp it, hence all the misunderstanding. : /
I am saddened but at the same time, relieved that I am not one of those "normal" people. ;p
And PR inculcates some of life's really precious values & habits like planning. All PR professionals are believers of planning. I plan my things all the time, though sometimes i still screw up but hey! I always tell myself, I make mistakes; I learn from them. No hard feelings.
Those of u interested, i managed to get the link for the story, Don't shoot the messenger. But i think it wont last long, most prob only for a week. But hey! Early bird gets the worm.
Back to Ong Soh Chin. Ms Ong's article was a little fuelled with anger (which i can totally understand why, cant u?) but at the same time, maintaining her professionalism & educating readers on the true essence of being a journalist. In their profession, during times of disasters like the Asian Tsunami, terrorist attacks & war, they have to be on the "front-line" to cover the story & deliver news to those of you who "shake leg at home" & first-hand news will be delivered to you via TV & the papers every morning while you sipped your morning coffee.
Being the journalist that they are, their job is to present the news in its raw & factual self. Wars are painful with innocent people losing their lives & homes, how is one going to find a happy smiling face that does the V-sign when being photgraphed or being shot on TV?
Those areas affected by the Tsunami is a wreak, i believe. The entire Sri Lanka, Malaysia & Indonesia have already been wiped out. Places & homes destroyed. Situations like this, it's immensely difficult to cover anything other than grief & more grief.
The journalists are doing their job. Just like the many journalists around the world covering stories on the Iraqi war, terrorist attacks. Some foreign journalists were being abducted & in the end, killed by the terrorists while trying to do their job & does anyone even sympathise them?
I do, because i know.
Do you?
I was reading Ong Soh Chin's article in The Straits Times today & i feel a compelling urge to speak up. Her article titled: Don't shoot the messenger reveals one of the biggest misunderstanding in their profession, just like any other.
Being a journalist, requires one to report any incidents & happenings, in its factual truth & of cos, minus all the opinions. One is supposed to deliver news; not to present the news through your eyes. Different people have different opinion on things, imagine who can you count on to give you facts & truth if journalists didnt do a good job. I've been a subscriber of our national daily since i was in Sec 3. That's a freaking 7 years already. Of cos, i have my favourite columnist, & no, it's not Sumiko Tan. It's Tay Yak Keak. And he's one hell of a funny man. Not ready to talk about him yet, maybe in time to come. Back to my original topic.
Ms Ong mentioned in her article that she was talkin to her friend about her impending trip to Sri Lanka to cover the story. And that her friend mentioned about a Sri Lankan friend who was at the disaster site & has since come back to SG. Ms Ong asked for the contact numbers of that Sri Lankan friend & her friend politely refused stating that she don't usually give out contact details to journalists.
We all can understand how one wants to protect their friends & that Ms Ong's friend specifically said that the friend is utterly grieved; hence, better to be left alone.
As a communications student here, I totally understand Ms Ong's intention. To get a better idea & view about things, which is the only way to cover a more realistic story. However, Ms Ong was offended by her friend. She was not being treated like a friend, but a journalist. Sure there are many despicable & lying black sheeps among the family which sometimes give journalists the bad name that they have always been called.
This brings me to my point. Alot of professions are actually widely misunderstood. Journalism being one of them. I am bound for Down Under to RMIT studing Communication majoring in Public Relations. It's really my calling (believe it or not! :p ) & when i tell people about my choice, they'll be wondering, why the hell do i need to spend so much money on tertiary education on something as worthless as PR?
GAWD. :-||
Tell me what you know about Public Relations. Maybe one or two out of the ten people that i ask can something remotely near to what PR is all about. People think its just attending parties & mingling around doing some bimbo stuff.
The freaking truth is: Public Relations is really a very intelligent profession. So much so that normal people cant grasp it, hence all the misunderstanding. : /
I am saddened but at the same time, relieved that I am not one of those "normal" people. ;p
And PR inculcates some of life's really precious values & habits like planning. All PR professionals are believers of planning. I plan my things all the time, though sometimes i still screw up but hey! I always tell myself, I make mistakes; I learn from them. No hard feelings.
Those of u interested, i managed to get the link for the story, Don't shoot the messenger. But i think it wont last long, most prob only for a week. But hey! Early bird gets the worm.
Back to Ong Soh Chin. Ms Ong's article was a little fuelled with anger (which i can totally understand why, cant u?) but at the same time, maintaining her professionalism & educating readers on the true essence of being a journalist. In their profession, during times of disasters like the Asian Tsunami, terrorist attacks & war, they have to be on the "front-line" to cover the story & deliver news to those of you who "shake leg at home" & first-hand news will be delivered to you via TV & the papers every morning while you sipped your morning coffee.
Being the journalist that they are, their job is to present the news in its raw & factual self. Wars are painful with innocent people losing their lives & homes, how is one going to find a happy smiling face that does the V-sign when being photgraphed or being shot on TV?
Those areas affected by the Tsunami is a wreak, i believe. The entire Sri Lanka, Malaysia & Indonesia have already been wiped out. Places & homes destroyed. Situations like this, it's immensely difficult to cover anything other than grief & more grief.
The journalists are doing their job. Just like the many journalists around the world covering stories on the Iraqi war, terrorist attacks. Some foreign journalists were being abducted & in the end, killed by the terrorists while trying to do their job & does anyone even sympathise them?
I do, because i know.
Do you?
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