The media is one of the most powerful institutions in the world. Aside from bringing information and current events, the media can also influence public opinion and can be a mighty force for good.
Carolyn Arguillas, veteran Mindanawon journalist and MindaNews editor-in-chief, stressed the important role of journalists in peace building. She said on 27 August that media practitioners must play an active role in fostering peace in Mindanao, which, in the national consciousness, is considered the country’s war zone.
She emphasized that FIlipino journalists are experts in our history, giving them a firm grasp of our challenges and how we can solve them. Arguillas said media practitioners and journalists are also stakeholders in pushing for peace in Mindanao. They are urged to report what is really happening and also know the reactions of normal people to these events.
This statement was part of the speech of Arguillas during the safety training in covering peace and conflict is the last of a four-series training in Mindanao on “Strengthening Safety of Journalists and Professional Journalistic Standards in the Philippines,” a project of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) -Jakarta supported by the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust, in partnership with MindaNews.
Mindanews is the news service arm of the Mindanao Institute of Journalism. It is composed of independent, professional journalists who believe and practice people empowerment through media.
