10/10/2021

Maria Ressa – “And The Truth Shall (Not) Set You Free”

PH News5 has come out with the public statement of F Sionil Jose, National Artist for Literature of the Philippines: “Maria Ressa does not deserve the Nobel.”

(“Sad” Alfred Nobel image[1] from China Daily, Maria Ressa image[2] from Esquire)

2 things I will argue here: (1) The Nobel Committee is right. (2) The Nobel Committee is wrong.

(1) The Nobel Peace Prize Committee is Right.

The Nobel Committee is correct in awarding Maria Ressa the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize (with co-winner Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov). In defense of press freedom. Mr Jose is wrong when he says, “The Philippine press is alive and well not because of Maria Ressa.” I say the PH press is alive becauseof Maria Ressa. Mr Jose says, “No writer is in jail.” I say no journalist is in jail because of Maria Ressa – since 2019, she has had a panel of international lawyers defending her, led by Amal Clooney.

(2) The Nobel Peace Prize Committee is Wrong.

The Nobel Committee values investigative journalism over and above developmentjournalism. The first is anti-person, the second pro-society.

I have been proselytizing about development journalism, which I prefer to call iTHINK! Journalism. Let me quote from my article, “Media Is In The Wrong Media Class Struggle – Media Should Be A Force For Good![3] (14 July 2021, Communication for Development):

And this is how to carry out the Media Class Struggle – through what I call iTHINK Journalism. Ta-da!

i for investigations. First, investigate if
True. Then investigate if
Helpful. Then investigate if
Inspiring. Then investigate if
Necessary. Then investigate if
Kind. THiNK!
Then, by all means, spread the news!

What Maria Ressa and the rest of the world of journalists are practicing is Truth Journalism only (personal), not THiNK Journalism (social) – I am anti-Nobel Peace Prize because it is essentially anti-social!@517



[1]http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-12/11/content_11685940.htm

[2]https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/news/maria-ressa-verdict-a00289-20200615

[3]https://communicationfordevelopmentphcomdev.blogspot.com/2021/07/media-is-in-wrong-media-class-struggle.html

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