A gag/comedy show was on, one of my favorites, and a classic at that considering it has stayed on-air for more than a decade. I remember watching the same show when I was in college and we even do our own version of it in our TV production course. I love how the writers and the creative director re-invents the show to make it timely. They always have new innovations which is good.
I like today’s particular segment about how Filipino’s got the habit of answering the right question the wrong way but still able to understand one another. It’s difficult to explain but their presentation perfectly showed this trait. An example was someone asked in our local lingo “ Where are you? (Asan ka na?)” then person on the other line answered “I’m almost there. (Malapit na ako)”.
Anyway, I am going off topic but the reason I was able to get a peek at today’s news was a news flash/advisory.
I don’t know how the media developed the negativity trait but that is how I think they were taught. If they want their news to sell, be on the front page or the banner story, it should be something explosive, and controversial. The popular news today was about the impending rice shortage and the allegedly rice hoarding. The way it was presented in the news is like its doomsday, that there will be no rice for us to cook and that that if there would be any available it will be very expensive, too expensive for a commoner to purchase.
Rice is one of the staples in our country. I can’t eat without rice honestly, no matter how many hamburgers, pizza, pasta and French fries I ate all day, not having to eat a meal with rice is just not having a meal at all.
Ok, I give credit to the segment where they show an alternative to rice, like potato, sweet potato, and noodles, and also how they explored where did the rice go and why the impending shortage, rice cartel and the crackdown against it.
Then they follow it with negative news, like the impending oil price hike and the threat of massive nationwide strike of public utility vehicle operators. Then followed it with a news about a former President who is now sick with colon cancer, and the supposedly light news about the dancing prisoners – but their dance is dedicated against the star witness for the government foiled deal broadband deal with a Chinese company. Then their news line-up of gory police stories, crimes and violence. The entire newscast runs 30 minutes and only 30 second of it was dedicated to positive news.
I understand that they want to create awareness, but I would be so glad to see that one day, newscast would have more of the positive slant, an impossible dream? Maybe, but morning shows are positive, it means it can be done. I don’t know just my two-cents. Reason why I choose to be jump on the other side of the fence because I want a more positive outlook and look more on the assets rather than the liabilities.
Tags: media, negativity, news and society
March 29th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Hi Earthlingorgeous, You really are gorgeous! I agree 100% about the news. Very rarely do they have positive stories on the news here in America – I suppose it’s like that in every country. The world will always be filled with problems and I think we should be positive that we can solve them rather than be gloomy about the worst outcomes. Anyway, it’s very nice to meet you and have a wonderful day:)
March 29th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Thank you Bobby for dropping by. And yeah all the news in the world creates chaos and panic when what one should do is create awareness then give solutions and not make evreyone anxious than what’s necessary.
March 30th, 2008 at 3:51 am
I totally agree with you on this. I hardly watch the news too.I heard and read about the news on rice too…I’m a big rice eater too but what I am worrying about is the poor people. It would suck big time if they would have to pay double of the current price now.
Haayyy!! what to do, I don’t know but I guess just hope for the best.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Yeah actually … most of the marginalized people here in our country will just have rice and salt on their table and that is already a meal for them… if rice price shoot up more hunger and poverty, more crime too sigh….
yeah, hope for the best and that a paradigm shift will eventually happen in the near future and everything levels up no war, no hunger, no greed… what a wonderful world it would be… sigh…
March 30th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
You hit the nail on the head on this one. Every night, my husband and I would turn away from the news in disgust. It’s like they prefer the bad news because it sells! The news, however, always leave me with this acrid taste in my mouth.
Don’t they know that the news does not necessarily mean bad news?
I wish there is some show where they give out good news instead of bad ones. I think that would help boosting people’s morale and general well being.
March 30th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Sigh Pie, controversy sells, sad really, and I don’t know how and why the media was brought up with a culture like that, that the more negative and controversial a story is the more they dwell into it. Editors, producers, publishers somehow got this thinking that when a reporter reports good things, they were paid by the person or company they are reporting which sucks really.
It will take centuries I think to change this mentality, evolution is a long process…