Pinocchio Korean Drama Journalism Insights

            Pinocchio is a Korean drama that talked about the media and the ethical dilemmas that jounalists experience in their work. It featured insights on the negative views on media and journalists, as well as the lives of the people heavily impacted by it.

           The television series portrayed how the people behind the media can be ruthless and ambitious due to the cutthroat competition among journalists and among media companies. Some reporters would take advantage of situations to make the story better. They would try to make their reports as humanistic as possible, since viewers would love to have some drama as a form of entertainment with their news.

          The show also included examples of "journalists becoming the news." A particular character in the story tried to create news by winning competitions or some other story to boost their popularity. It is a ploy to increase the ratings of their television station.

          The story also tried to show that this tense rivalry causes journalists to have little time for their families. This would lead them to have faulty relations in their homes.

          This "contest" between businesses described the idea that the media has its own agendas. It would resort to lies and deception to further its own gains. One character even described the newsroom as being “filthy” and a place breeds falsehood because all the people in it are liars. The individual accused news reporters of using speculations and rumors as the basis of their reports despite their lack of evidence. Proven or not, these untrue accounts would harm someone’s reputation or destroy a life when it gets disseminated to the public. The person said that reporters use their microphones and cameras as weapons to “kill” a person.

        One instance in the show even depicted how reporters would lie about their identities during interviews. The would do this to avoid suspicion if the interviewee is on guard and unwilling to divulge the truth to the media.

        All these negative views on media is not so prevalent in the Philippines. In abroad, though, it is different story. Many people would not easily trust the media especially tabloids and the social media.

        It might be confusing that the traits of the journalists in the drama contradicts the purpose of media. They were supposed to be the upholders of truth and clarity. These journalists are supposed to be another check and balance to other institutions in the society. Here, they are portrayed as another organization with selfish motives instead.

       One has to remember that they are people, too. Just like how other people change in times of desperation or due to their complicated circumstances, reporters also falter and question their own morality at times. Some are blinded by greed while some may be intimidated into going against their ethics.

       We cannot easily know who are already compromised or how we could prevent this. Indeed, the truth is difficult to obtain, especially when the people tasked to reveal it sometimes end up hiding it themselves.

Newspaper writers and gender

        Women started to work for the Philippine journalism industry after the Second World War. Before that, they were reduced to staying at home and taking care of their families. Perhaps this change was brought about by the sudden boom of media outlets after the years of suppression by the Japanese military. This event gave women the opportunity to join the numerous, proliferating newspapers and other news channels.

        Nowadays, names of women can be read on broadsheets. Sometimes, their bylines are seen accompanying the banner stories.

        In the survey that I did concerning the front page writers of a certain newspaper--particularly their gender in relation to the topic they wrote about--I concluded that there are more male headline writers than women. Though there are female journalists whose articles become banner stories in general, in my five-day survey, there is only one. The topic she wrote about was politics. In fact, the banner stories of the past five days are all political talk.

        The male writers in the front page wrote about politics except for one who took on the topic about the visit of One Direction in the Philippines last weekend. On the other hand, female writers had more variety in the subjects they wrote about. Some wrote about politics while others chose entertainment, lifestyle, technology and issues concerning health and science, respectively. An editorial by a female senator was present, as well.

        Current banner stories are about politics given the present situation of the country. Even before the Mamasapano and “Fallen 44” issue, the most trending topic in Philippine media was about the government, with the exception of the coverage on the visit of Pope Francis last January. The conditions of a country influences what stories newspapers are going to be focused on. As for the gender of the journalists, it is not as though there is discrimination or stereotypes on gender on topic assignation, but it is according to the editor’s judgment on a writer’s ability to handle specific news categories. It is the editor who is responsible for whoever gets a respective story. He appropriates according to what he perceives is the expertise of an individual writer. For instance, if the editor knows that a journalist is a sports fan or was part of the school varsity, it is likely that he would choose that journalist to write a story for the sports section.

        If ever there is some unequal treatment of both genders, it may be due to the editor. Writers do not make their own decisions on what they report, otherwise, there would be issues left untackled for the sake of well-liked topic that everyone might fight over. This would lead to unhealthy relationships within the same company.

        Though it is not entirely impossible for there to be discrimination in media offices, the present generation seems to be aware of it to try and eradicate it. Hopefully, today’s educated youth would be able to take our society to another step forward from this backward social views.

Circumlocution

Circumlocution is the utilization of verbose and evasive language to avoid direct expression of thoughts. "Circumlocution is usually regarded as a stylistic vice in contemporary prose," as well as for comic effect (Nordquist, n.d.).

1. Pass away - Die	51. Air support - Bombing
2. Correctional facility - Jail	52. Antipersonnel weapon - Killer
3. Differently-abled - Handicapped	53. Interpret the mood - Appropriate (verb)
4. Ethnic cleansing - Genocide	54. Artificial dentures - False teeth
5. Negative patient outcome - Dead	55. Assault - Rape
6. Relocation center - Prison camp	56. Asylum - Mental hospital
7. Collateral damage - Accidental death	57. At liberty - Out of work
8. Letting someone go - Firing someone	58. Act of God - Disaster
9. Put to sleep - Euthanize	59. Aversion therapy - Brainwash
10. Pregnancy termination - Abortion	60. End of the ball game - Death
11. On the streets - Homeless	61. Barnyard epithet - swear words
12. Adult beverages - Liquor	62. Beverage host - Bartender
13. Au natural - Naked	63. Bilateral orchidectomy - Castration
14. Portly - Overweight	64. In one’s birthday suit - Nude
15. Chronologically-challenged - Late	65. Born on the wrong side of the blanket - Love child
16. Economical with the truth - Liar	66. Loose bowel movement - Diarrhea
17. Between jobs - Unemployed	67. Body count - Number of dead people
18. Domestic engineer - Maid	68. Break off contact with the enemy - Retreat
19. Sanitation engineer - Garbage man	69. Brief illness - Suicide
20. Along the lines of - Like	70. Broad-beamed - Fat
21. As a matter of fact - In fact	71. The big C - Cancer

22. At all times - Always	72. Capital punishment - Death penalty
23. At the present time - Now	73. Cash advance - Debt
24. At this point in time - Currently	74. Funeral director - Undertaker
25. Because of the fact that - Because	75. Categorical inaccuracy - Lie
26. By means of - By	76. Casualty - Victim
27. Draw to your attention - Point out	77. Cloakroom - Lavatory
28. Due to the fact that - Because	78. Colored - Mixed ancestry
29. For the purpose of - For	79. Combat emplacement evacuator - Shovel
30. For the reason that - Because	80. Comfort station - Public toilet
31. Have the ability to - Can	81. Confidence course - Obstacle course
32. In light of the fact that - Because	82. Confidential source - Informer
33. In order to - To	83. Conflict - War
34. In regards to - About	84. Convalescent hospital - Nursing home
35. In spite of the fact that - Although	85. Cover story - Lie
36. In the event that - If	86. Covert operation - Break-in
37. In the final analysis - Finally	87. Criminal conversation - Adultery
38. In the nature of - Like	88. Criminal operation - Abortion
39. In the neighborhood of - About	89. Culturally deprived - Poor
40. Make decisions about - Decide on	90. Deep-six - To destroy evidence
41. On two separate occasion - Twice	91. Deluxe - First-class
42. The level of water rose - The water rose	92. Detainee - Prisoner
43. The majority of - Most	93. Detention - Imprisonment without trial
44. People who are located in - People in	94. Dispatch - Kill
45. The pie that is included in - The pie in	95. Droppings - Animal litter
46. Until such time as - Until	96. Earth-sheltered - Underground

47. With reference to - On	97. Embroider the truth - Lie
48. As a rule of thumb - In general	98. Emerging nation - Underdeveloped nation
49. General circulation of air - Wind	99. Executive action - Neutralization
50. Of a certain age - Mature	100. Festival seating - General admission

Sources:

Nordquist, R. (n.d.). Circumlocution. Retrieved in March 23, 2015 from

http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/circumlocution.htm

Rawson, H. (1981). A dictionary of euphemisms & other doubletalk. New York: Crown Publishers,

Inc.

Your Dictionary (n.d.). Examples of euphemism. Retrieved in March 23, 2015 from

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-euphemism.html

Updates on the missing 50K issue

       Assistant Dean and Student Welfare and Development Board (SWDB) coordinator Nancy Taberara admitted that no formal hearing has been done four months following the event of the 50,000-peso issue in an interview last February 21.

        Two separate hearings were scheduled and cancelled due to activities in the Faculty of Arts and Letters (AB). The faculty were not able to "match up" their schedules to hold a "fact-finding session," as well. Taberara also informed that all members of the SWDB would have to be called upon for the hearings.

        Each member of the student council prepared their narratives on what supposedly transpired. "The next thing to be done is to call these people individually...to verify their pronouncements." She said that as a coordinator of the SWDB, she went through the narratives and consulted legal experts, the opinions of which she abstained from divulging. "The SWDB do not have a lead. We only know the narratives [given by the persons concerned]."

        During the dialogue, she announced that no observers would be allowed on the hearings. Some students expressed indignation to this. One student from 4Philosophy debated with the student council and the Board of Majors for this prohibition some moments before the event was adjourned. Taberara was not present during such discussion, but when asked about the hearings earlier in the event, she commented that it is "quite unfair" to think that the hearings might be "rigged" and conducted "with no objectivity."

        The two delayed hearings were scheduled last December and January, respectively. They did not take place because the administration was "overtaken" by the activities associated with the preparation for the Papal visit. The SWDB was in-charge of the human shield of students who volunteered to help keep order during Pope Francis' stay in the university.

        Taberara stated that she prefers to call it "fact-finding sessions" instead of "hearings." She said that there was no complainant like in proper legal proceedings because of the AB students' concern on what happened to the "stolen" 50,000 pesos, as well as the question of who could be the perpetrator, the students, as a collectively body, have presented the issue to the administrators.

        Taberara noticed from the questions of the students during the Speak Up dialogue last February 10 that the inquirers "seem like they feel that someone...may actually be guilty." She indicated that such musings are "unfair" to their fellow students they accuse when there is still no verdict on the case.

        "In a way, I would say yes [that the AB forum was enough to satisfy the concerns and sentiments of the AB student body] because the students were very enthusiastic and...very spontaneous in their questions," she concluded. But she is not sure whether or not all AB students were "well represented" during the forum. She perceived some questions as being "personal" and "individual."

        "There were not really that much concerns." The focus was on the 50,000-peso issue, the late equipment, the professors, and the Type B uniform, as she enumerated.