Money never sleeps
| AN OUTSIDERS VIEW |
 |
| Ken Fuller |
Article XVI, Section 11 (1) of the Philippine Constitution of 1987 states: “The ownership and management of mass media shall be limited to citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations, cooperatives or associations, wholly-owned and managed by such citizens.”
Within a few days of his inauguration, President Aquino announced that he would form a commission to determine whether the Constitution should be changed and, indeed, whether “the people” were requesting this. Of course, powerful voices have for some time been calling for the nationalist economic provisions of the Constitution to be deleted, thus allowing greater foreign participation in the economy.
Filipinos, particularly those of a nationalist bent, should be particularly vigilant if the question of foreign ownership of the media comes up for discussion. With the media, the mere fact of ownership translates into influence — mass influence, the ability to distort the consciousness of a sizeable section of the population. An exaggeration? No — it’s happening elsewhere in the world.
A recent Paul Krugman column in the New York Times (“Fear and Favor,” Oct. 4) focuses on the influence of the Rupert Murdoch media empire in the USA. Tea Party activists, says Krugman, are unwitting extras in a remake of “Citizen Kane” in which the principal, rather than purchasing political office for himself like Orson Welles’ Kane, simply “puts politicians on his payroll.”.... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101109com6.html
0 comments
Post a Comment