Media for the current political controversy

Recent Post

The perfect case study

---

Media buying: Print up close (Part 2)

---

Media buying: Print up close

---

Media in the news

---

The New Golden Boy of Media

---

The running joke right after EDSA DOS was that Erap was the President who got overthrown via text. The popularity of SMS was peaking at the time, and through the combination of available technology, the political situation at the time, and the profile of the common “texter” – which fit the description of the crowd that initially gathered at the EDSA shrine on that fateful night after Chief Justice Hilario Davide declared on primetime TV, "The NO votes have it."

In 1986 it was the "mosquito press" and the proliferation of "Xeroxed" copies of news items published in the international media that were the main media channels that allowed what scant information to flow into the country. This fueled the crowds that gathered in regular protest marches along Ayala Avenue. But the more visible media that became the symbol of the protests was the yellow confetti that rained down from the buildings along Ayala – invariably sourced from the PLDT telephone directories' Yellow Pages.

So what will it be this time? This is a question I now get asked quite frequently by friends. Is it YouTube? Maybe, MMS? Or videos sent via Bluetooth? Wiretapped conversations perhaps?

At the moment it is still difficult to tell. For one thing, we do not know how long this new era of anti-government protests will last. And what eventuality it will lead to. Will it lead to an unplanned change in government? Or will it eventually fizzle out like its earlier incarnation in 2005? It could last long enough for technology to introduce a new medium altogether. There are speculations that a critical mass is slowly building up and talk is rife about a "tipping point" as elucidated by Korina Sanchez on her TV show last week. And if that point is reached anytime soon, how will its arrival be communicated?

My observation is that it is still traditional media that is principally the driving force in shaping people's minds with regard to the current political situation. I avoid using the term "crisis" as I am not sure we are there yet. It is easy to think that the big rally last Friday represents the sentiment of the entire Filipino nation. But, sorry to disappoint you, it doesn't. Not yet, anyway.

It takes a while for a message to be absorbed by the masses. It takes time for it to trickle down to the lower classes and on to the provinces, as it slowly shapes public opinion. EDSA DOS was prepped by many weeks of the Impeachment Trial on primetime TV. It built up over time and at the right moment, was ignited by a dramatic turn of events that was watched by millions on primetime television.

The two major TV networks have been devoting extensive airplay to the current controversy, but by their own reportage, they showed that the average Filipino, the "common tao" as we used to call him or her, has not yet completely absorbed the message. News segments with person-on-the-street interviews showed that the average Filipino didn't know what the fuss was all about. They could not even pronounce the "NBN-ZTE Deal" correctly, let alone explain what it meant.

Jun Lozada's handlers apparently understand this point quite well. It is the reason why he is on a roadshow among the country's major universities, raising awareness, preaching his gospel and drawing converts from a new breed of gentiles among the student population. A roadshow is a medium that delivers the message directly to the targeted audiences. It generates results quickly, albeit only within the selected areas (campuses), one at a time. But sooner or later a bandwagon effect is achieved and they can switch back to traditional media to address their converts less directly, but having been already converted, they will readily listen and be easily swayed by future pronouncements.

And just as it was the students that led the protests that eventually toppled the Marcos Regime, and it was the students again that were at the forefront of EDSA DOS, it is obviously hoped for that they will once again galvanize the rest of the citizenry into action. The audience becomes the new medium to reach the wider target audience. In this light the new technologies make sense, as they are the media of this new elite group that the opposition hopes will lead the people in the march for yet another regime change.

On the other side of Mendiola Bridge, the medium of choice appears to be the "Unity Walk," a staged display of solidarity among key political personalities like the cabinet secretaries and governors. There are pro-administration rallies to demonstrate popular support for the administration. As an administration official was heard saying, "The opposition does not have a monopoly on the rallies."

There are also paid advertisements – on the administration side, print ads from groups of supporters, from LGU leaders to Muslim NGO's; and on the opposition side, parallel expressions of support from their own set of supporters. One remarkable example was the half page ad of the University of Santo Tomas that showed alumnus Jun Lozada's graduation photo from his yearbook, to illustrate the school's position on the current political controversy.

Ultimately it all boils down to a battle for the hearts and minds of your ordinary everyday average Pinoy – and regardless of the message, the side that uses the right media will emerge victorious.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions advanced in this article is the author’s own, and may not necessarily represent the views and opinions of THE LOBBYiST, its editors, or its publishers.

Factual Errors? Email us at editorial@thelobbyist.biz.

Copyright 2007 The LOBBYiST. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the expressed permission of The LOBBYiST.