A shape-shifting profession

First, from Jurgette Honculada, who wrote the letter from a “lola feminist” that appeared yesterday in this space, “one erratum, the other [an] improvement” on her piece.

Her introduction to Pilipina and thus to feminism was actually three (not two) decades ago, in 1981 when she and some sisters met at Victoria’s resort in Talomo beach in Davao. (Another Pinay sister, Tessie Banaynal Fernandez of Lihok Pilipina in Cebu, wrote to say she was also at this same gathering.)

In her closing paragraph, Jurgette wrote of living one’s later years like fine wine, “not the vinegar of a life ill-lived; or the dry dust of a life not lived.” Jurgette found “vinegar,” on second thought, “yuk, jarring in a different way,” and so she has changed it to read: “not the rot and reek of a life ill-lived.”

Fine wine, vinegar, or rot and reek, it’s how we live—and love—our later years that determines the final verdict.

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In its desire to “strengthen the pillars of democracy,” the Metrobank Foundation has through the years sponsored searches for outstanding teachers, soldiers, police and promising artists who, it hopes, will set the standards for the country’s youth to emulate in pursuit of their profession.

Strictly speaking, journalism is not a profession (we do not have to take or pass a qualifying examination, we don’t even have to graduate from college!), but the journalist’s service to the nation can be said to at least be equal to that of the teacher, soldier, police or artist. And if Thomas Jefferson is to be believed, the press (no Internet yet in his time) is a far more valuable stalwart of democracy than the state or government.

Which may be why the Metrobank Foundation is sponsoring the “Journalists of the Year” awards, also known as JOY, now on its third incarnation after the first one went on an unexplained hiatus for some years. The other year and now this year, it has partnered with the Probe Media Foundation to search for and honor outstanding journalists who exemplify professionalism and truth-telling, integrity and skill in their work.

While Metrobank heads the awards, the nitty-gritty of poring through the nominations, fact-checking and managing the process falls on the Probe Media Foundation. And in their work, says Probe’s Cheche Lazaro, Metrobank has “respected our independence,” something, she told the audience at the Bulong Pulungan sa Sofitel yesterday, she had come to expect given her previous experiences as a judge in the Metrobank searches.

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Another reason she accepted with alacrity Metrobank Foundation head Chito Sobrepenas’ offer to comanage JOY, said Lazaro, was the chance to bring the winning journalists on a campus tour around the country. The tour, she said, brought together hundreds of young aspiring journalists and potential decision-makers together with “seasoned veterans” in dialogues on the contribution of journalists and of journalism to nation-building and on the changing environment of the profession.

Winners in the last iteration of JOY—Jarius Bondoc, Malou Mangahas and Jiggy Manicad—dialogued with the young people who, despite being what Lazaro called “star struck” at names and faces they encountered every day, still bravely brought up questions and concerns regarding the conduct and impact of journalism on our daily lives.

The search for JOY is open to all journalists in all media (web-based journalism is accepted, though the jury is still out on bloggers), with “journalist” defined as someone who relies on journalism as his/her primary source of income, with at least 10 years’ experience in the field. Nominees (and self-nominations are accepted) are asked to submit five samples of their work (published or broadcast from Jan. 1, 2004, to Dec. 31, 2014), with at least two written, produced or recorded in the last two years, to assure the judges that the journalist in question is still active in his/her field.

There is no age limit although one has to be “active” in the profession. While the first version of JOY (then known as the Search for Outstanding Journalist or SOJ) recognized a lifetime achievement honoree (the late Prof. Armando Malay), Sobrepeña said they are still considering whether they should include such a category in later searches.

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Perhaps the best news for notoriously penurious journalists is that the JOY award comes with a cash prize of P300,000, together with a specially designed medallion. The three awardees will then become part of the Metrobank Foundation Fellowship in Journalism, sharing their “expertise and experience through professional lectures for students, academic professionals, and media practitioners, in different parts of the country.”

Nominators have until April 30 to submit the nomination forms (with the consent of the nominee), with all Metrobank branches accepting the forms which will then be forwarded to the Metrobank Foundation offices.

The search for JOY, says Metrobank, celebrates and honors Filipino journalists whose works “have contributed to the development of the nation, and have influenced and inspired their colleagues and the broader media industry over the years.”

In this era of new information technology and the explosion of social media, journalists are being defined mainly by their access to technology and their reach. The term “journalist” has increasingly become self-defined, self-bestowed. But even nonjournalists know that a “tweet” or a “post” is not journalism, although it could very well be news—unverified, unedited, and unprocessed it may be.

In this time of searching and questioning what it means to be a journalist, may JOY help define the boundaries of a shape-shifting profession.