Some people talk about martial law like it’s just something in the past ̶ finished and forgotten. But this certain event was definitely different. The past became the present and will still be part of every Filipino’s future; it will always be instilled in our hearts.
Dr. Crispin Maslog was truly inspirational. The way he talked about it, you can feel how deeply painful those memories were for him. Every time he pauses for a while, you could see him reminiscing about it. He did not only narrate the events during martial law, he also emphasized its impact in the media industries during those dark years.
The media industries slowly deteriorated during the martial law era. Since the different platforms and channels were suspended, the skills of the media writers weakened, as said by Mr. Adriano. The quality of Philippine journalism went down as well. This is a great manifestation of how media was affected by these government institutions and policies.
On the other hand, media as well have affected these institutions as Mr. Ninoy Aquino’s death have started and triggered the hearts of the Filipinos. It has pushed the underground press to start publishing again. For 14 years, media has no initiative, but gradually media has started to influence and be an avenue to fight against the oppressive era.
As part of the ideological structures that serve as a very influential institution, media will always have an impact on how these political institutions will work. Especially in this technological generation, the information citizens would get will come from these media industries, thus, shaping how people perceive the government. Moreover, these political institutions have the power to control over media which also raises a very timely issue such as fake news.
As citizens, we should also do our parts as media communicators. Media literacy as a must especially as development-communicator-in-training. We could be the future journalists who wouldn’t just write for personal benefits, but who would write and bring change for the common good.
Mia Carmela 