‘Media and politics don’t mix’

By URIEL C. QUILINGUING
Contributing Editor

Politicians and media practitioners share something in common, that both of them work for the well-being of the city and the country, hence they cannot exist without each other.

This, in gist was City Councilor Joyleen Mercedes L. “Girlie” Balaba’s message after officers of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club were inducted in at the Grand Caprice, Limketkai Center this city last Thursday.

“But media and politics don’t mix,” says Balaba who, for several years as a broadcast journalist before she joined politics and topped the race for the City Council in the city’s second district in May 2019 midterm elections.

Having been a newscaster of the city’s Star FM of Bombo Radyo in Cagayan de Oro and as news anchor of ABS-CBN Southern Mindanao based in Davao City, she said she shares the daily struggles of journalists, be in broadcast or in print.

“I share in our daily struggles,” said Balaba, who took up psychology and nursing courses at Xavier University and her basic education at Lourdes College here. “I hope that we will not lose sight of our objective which is to deliver the truth.”

She said that there are instances when journalists put their lives at risk in the process of getting the facts and in delivering the news.

Although media and politics don’t mix, yet she urged all club members and other media practitioners to respect each others’ opinions. Balaba currently chairs the City Council committees on social services, and on labor and employment.

Meanwhile, criminologist and broadcaster Manuel “Manny” Jaudian, who was earlier inducted in with 13 other club officers by Balaba, reminded all club members to follow the Code of Ethics which the COPC general assembly ratified 18 years ago.

Foremost of the 11-paragraph COPC Code of Ethics is the provision on accuracy which states as follows, “We shall be guided at all times by accuracy, fairness, independence, and balance, and should not deliberately mislead or misinform the public. We shall aim to disclose all known, relevant facts.”

Jaudian said that while journalists co-exist with politicians since they have something in common yet they should not allow themselves to become the latter’s mouthpieces since this would mean losing one’s moral ascendancy as members of the fourth estate.