Media should be at the forefront of change--Gordon

Aware of the power of media in influencing the society, Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon has urged the members of the media industry to be at the forefront of change by providing the public with relevant information that would help them decide on many issues.

Speaking before members of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) during the recently-concluded 34th Top Level Management Conference at Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay City, Gordon called on the media to help lead the country to genuine change.

"You aspire for change, be the change you want to be. It has to start from media because you are the most visible, you are in control of the means of information of this country, and for that matter, the whole world," he said.

Gordon said the media, being an instrument of information, is expected to make sure that people are always informed so that they can make necessary judgments on very important issues such as the national elections.

He explained that previous elections in the country had always been manipulated by the powerful and the wealthy by using mental management through surveys to dictate the trend in the elections.

Gordon said, unlike in the United States where candidates are given fair hearing through public debates, our country's electorate had been conditioned to use survey results as guidelines in choosing the nation's leaders because candidates are not compelled to join in public debates. That is when the media should play its important role of giving accurate, unbiased and unadulterated information to the public, he added.

"The media should provide a level playing field to all candidates, especially those running for the presidency. They should be made to participate in debates so that people are aware of their stand on issues pertinent to the development of our country," Gordon said.

He said that if media is able to provide an arena where candidates are equal and they can fairly discuss issues and make clear their stand on the nation's concerns, the public can very well discern those people who seek to lead the country and they can make better judgments during elections.

"Media is the vast repository, is the vessel for change. It is a huge cup where you put information, which would then spread to the breadth and depth of this archipelago so that people can make informed choices, so that people would know to discern and to make decisions; not based on people who dance on stage and ask for your vote; not based on people who can buy the media or buy the votes, but through a system that is focused, fast, friendly, flexible and forward-looking at all times," Gordon said.