‘Bottom line: we citizens need to be comfortable asking questions just as journalists need to be comfortable asking tough questions. And public servants answering them (unless guilty!).’
THAT’S a question often asked at the end of presentations and over the years I’ve learned that Filipinos are a special breed compared to the rest of the world when it comes to this part of the program.
When I worked for a US beverage company, I had colleagues from South Asia who were never shy to ask questions. Colleagues from Europe, too, except they had a harder time maybe because their thought processes had to be translated into English first. Filipinos? We were gun shy. We preferred to finish the snacks available while leaving the floor to the guys from South Asia.
I was reminded of this when I was about to give opening remarks to yesterday’s Philippine Press Institute webinar entitled “Journalism 101; How (not) to ask questions,” participated in by over 1,000, including a large number of communications and journalism students.
The panelists consisted of, in alphabetical order, Prof. Danilo Arao; Rhaydz Barcia; Amalia Cabusao; Carlos Conde; Manny Mogato and John Nery.
In my remarks I noted that the publicity materials for the session described it as “for students, educators, MIL teachers, non- media and journalists too. In short.” Put it another way, I said, in short, “it was for every single citizen, of every single country that claims to be a democracy, or hopes to be a democracy. Last I checked the Philippines is one of the first though some feel we are one of the second.”And there’s a relationship between the two.
Democracy, I said, is strengthened when a citizenry strives to be informed. I say “strives” because it requires work. Being informed does not happen by osmosis when all you need to do is cover your face with a newspaper and all the info will filter through your epidermis into your cerebrum. For all we know you may not even have a functioning cerebrum, as seems to be true of some of those in office.
Now no citizenry can be an informed citizenry if they don’t ask questions. Which, I stressed, seems to be a Filipino problem — many of us don’t want to ask questions because 1) we don’t want to look stupid and 2) we don’t want to offend. But guess what: If we don’t ask questions so we can be enlightened on matters we are not sure about, then we will indeed be stupid.
As for the fear of offending others, I suggested that there are many ways of nicely asking questions of people in power, like adding “po” when you ask them “Is it true po na corrupt nga po kayo?”
Bottom line: we citizens need to be comfortable asking questions just as journalists need to be comfortable asking tough questions. And public servants answering them (unless guilty!).
This is an important part of democracy.
