Tingog.com

Here it is folks, The videos. The ABS-CBN News Channel show, “Media in Focus”. This was the episode last week in which fellow bloggers Benj Espina and Josel Gonzalez were invited to the show to give their take on the Malu Fernandez issue. I couldn’t make it since I’m currently out of the country. But as will be made obvious within minutes of the show, the focus wasn’t really on the discrimination of Malu Fernandez but more on how blogs and the individuals turned into a “lynch mob”. Look at the subtitle in some instances, and you will see, “Mobs Rule!”. What’s with the exclamation point? Shouldn’t that be a question mark?

Yes, this is the spin that they were using, maybe because Malu Fernandez declined to be on the show, and in her statement referred to the collective voice of outraged Filipinos as a “lynch mob.”

Both Josel and Benj did an excellent job in making their point. As I have tried to do, I have not resorted to expletives, and the post, “Here is our Stand”, has some explanations as to why I refused to do so. And as the guest bloggers, including Ricky, showed, there is a difference between strong opinion and being irresponsible and not actually contributing ideas to the discussion. This was what I meant by collateral damage. Detracting from the real issue, and thus giving ammunition for Manila Standard Today.

The first half hour were devoted to the views coming from bloggers Benj and Selvo, the remaining time were given to Alex Magno, Ricky Carandang and Lorraine Belmonte. This wasn’t the format that I would have liked since it seems that the conversation went towards the response rather than the Malu Fernandez article.

But in this kind of situation, the viewers would have been better served to have both sets of parties come in for 15 minutes each, then the remaining of the time should have had all of them in the same room. The exchange of ideas never took place between old and new media, and if it weren’t for Ricky Carandang trying to explain the nature of the blogosphere, the old media crew would have had been singing “hyper speed” from beginning to end.

Ricky dispels the notion of “lynch mob”. And I have to agree. Let’s make it clear, most of the comments that were made here on Tingog.com were responsible, there was not one voice, but many different voices with independent thoughts. Most comments would be moderated 20 at a time, and so, it was almost impossible for one comment to be swayed by the next. A lynch mob comes for blood. The reactions were views and opinions and Tingog.com gave a platform for an entire community that was discriminated against by the articles to air out their grievances. This was fair.

Lorraine again discussed the hyper speed aspect of the internet (she seems to be obsessed with this), talks about Bush and the misinformation he suffered, but doesn’t mention the misinformation leveled against John Kerry as well. And Alex Magno admits that old media is feeble and slow (I thought this was funny). And trust me Mr. Magno, the internet is not a utopia, it is more like an overgrown cable company with infinite and independent channels of information.

On a side note, nowhere in the snippets of the screenshots of Tingog.com nor Selvo.Wordpress.com were ever shown actual relevant comments that pertained to the issue. They showed Tingog.com from time to time, in one second intervals. But give us a break, couldn’t they have at least quoted from my actual blog post, many of the arguments contained therein were very much on the spot and on the issue.

Benj and Josel did a great job, but being a guest on such a show, much respect must be given to the moderator who, in the end, decides the tone and what questions to ask. Cheche Lazaro is a great media personality and journalist, and much respect should be given. As Benj said, they were not tasked to talk about the ethics of the issue, because that was delegated to Alex, Lorraine, and Ricky. But even the latter half of the show, focused more on the reactions rather than the article itself, which in my view was a bit disappointing.

Lorraine calls for compassion, and rightly so. But Lorraine is frightened by The Internet and blogging, and again talks about hyper speed. She also believes that Malu was contrite. Hmmm, the contrite part maybe far-fetched. Suffice it to say, they kept coming back to the issue of the comments left on blogs, Alex Magno actually sounds defeated in some instances, and Ricky Carandang tried his best to point out the current environment of blogging.

Alex Magno mentions the political power of OFWs. Both Alex Magno and Ricky agree that there were no victims. Lorraine expresses her view that the response went overboard.

And Ricky makes a statement which I thought should have been picked up more by the four who were discussing at that moment. There were no victims, “because they both fought back, and they both expressed themselves, and they got it out there, and now everybody knows”

And yes, everybody knows.

And in a sense, that was the tone of the whole show. Malu F did this, but Blogger A did this, Blogger B did this, there was this comment, and this comment, and this comment, and this comment, and in the end, the political spin worked in Malu’s favor. But as will be made clear in my next post, the word overboard and the circumstance of the overall reaction was definitely necessary, not because it was our choice, but it was our duty to do so and because of the actions of the involved parties, including Manila Standard Today.

Question from Cheche: “Isn’t being called a pig, isn’t that worse than being killed twice”

Ricky: “No it’s not”

Question from Cheche: Do you think both sides acted responsibly

Lorraine doesn’t answer against Malu, and skirts the question. She wanted to answer with “OFWs aside”, and wanted to focus on the medium, but in doing so, she explicitly points to the blog reaction as being an overreaction. So in all actuality she answered the question by condemning only one side. Thanks Lorraine.

Ahh, the growing pains of the blogosphere, if only they would realize that if the response were any different, this whole issue would never have made into that show in the first place.

Thank you Ricky, Selvo, and Benj. and Cheche Lazaro too.

tags: abs cbn, blogging, malu fernandez, media in focus