“The words are not good for the secret meaning, everything always becomes a bit different, as soon as it is put into words, gets distorted a bit, a bit silly—yes, and this is also very good, and I like it a lot, I also very much agree with this, that this what is one man’s treasure and wisdom always sounds like foolishness to another person.” ― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
On 23 November 2009, exactly 13 years ago, Andal Ampatuan, with his armed paramilitary security, with the complicity of some policemen, massacred 58 people, including 34 journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based NGO that promotes Press Freedom for the world, described the killings as "the single deadliest event for journalists in… Continue reading Ampatuan / Maguindanao Massacre: 13 years hence
This is a mini lecture delivered on March 4, 2022 on the webinar titled Digital Journalism and the Mindanao Vote. Organized by Philippine Press Institute (PPI) and Journalism Studies Association of the Philippines, Inc. (JSAP, Inc.) supported by Hanns Seidel Foundation in cooperation with Internews in collaboration with USAID. I prepared for a one-hour lecture,… Continue reading Philippine Elections and the Mindanao Vote in the Age of Social Media
For the past seven years or so, the Philippines has been touted as the “Social (Media) Nation of the world”. This is reminiscent of the time when the Philippines was being hailed as the “texting capital of the world”, even before the turn of the millennium. But at first glance at the statistics, it doesn’t… Continue reading Philippines: Social Media Capital of the World
Not everybody can READ a film. That takes tons of reading materials, thousands of hours watching films of all kinds, understanding Film theories, Communication theories, Cultural Studies theories, and Media Literacy theories. Knowledge of world history, world mythologies, symbolisms, semiotics, and philosophy will come in handy, too. And of course, the skills to "read" media… Continue reading Films, Media Representation and Reality: Inclusion or Misrepresentation?
OCTA Research, "a polling, research and consulting firm", as described in its website, is under attack from some quarters for telling people that there is another surge in Covid cases and what is needed is another lockdown. I am glad that there is criticism, but the attack is against OCTA and not against the government.… Continue reading The OCTA Case: Should lockdowns be the only weapon against rising Covid19 cases?
The so-called Moro Conflict in the Philippines, which arguably does not end with the creation of the Bangsa Moro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), can be traced back to the United States of America. The various Moro Sultanates did not have a shared history with the conquered peoples of Luzon and Visayas. The Moro… Continue reading America and the Bangsa Moro through the years
Postprandial Musings, 2.0 