Chinese ‘media trainers’

Will wonders never cease?

Is the announcement by Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar that our government media will be “trained” by China supposed to thrill us Filipinos who still have brains (“PCOO: China to train PH gov’t media,” (News, 4/13/18)?

It will be interesting to see our media being taught by the “new masters” from across the West Philippine Sea on the rudiments of toeing the government line, or learning to polish propaganda pieces to boost the powers-that-be—in other words, to be total robotic trolls like the wonderful Mocha Uson.

Wasn’t it long ago that our press was tagged “the most licentious” in Asia by someone who didn’t realize that the adjective did not mean free but libidinous?

Will our newspapers, television and radio parrot every line handed down by Malacañang and therefore show the world that we are an independent nation capable of producing sterling journalists?

My first reaction was to ape George W. Bush and say “Bring it on, Beijing!”  because I wanted to find out whether ignorance will triumph over common sense.

CELESTE T. CRUZ, [email protected]