Of good journalists
and good bloggers

What happens in a world where anyone can be a journalist?

This was the question posed by Cocoy Dayao, a blogger, internet publisher, and self-described political junkie who participated in the Luzon leg of the training seminar “Maguindanao and Beyond: Media Killings and the Quest for Justice” held by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism from May 11-13 in Makati City. The seminar, conducted with assistance from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), aims to foster greater awareness and united action among mainstream and new media journalists from the national and community media on the circumstances, context, and lessons drawn from the spate of media killings in the country.

In a commentary he posted on the Philippine Online Chronicles (POC) website, Dayao asked what happens in a world where anyone can capture and upload images at will, or publish information or opinion at any time, where every citizen has the potential to become a journalist. These questions take on a greater urgency in the Philippines, where mainstream journalists have repeatedly been targetted for murder by politicians or powerful interest groups.

Dayao asks how citizen journalists can stay safe and still exercise their right to free expression in a country labelled as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. A significant part of the answer, Dayao says, may lie in the prudent exercise of basic journalistic principles and values of responsible reporting and fair play.

“Good stories make good journalists. Good stories make good bloggers. Good stories make good tweets,” Dayao concludes.

Read his post here.