“I thought my job was to tell the public the truth—the facts, pretty or not—and make a difference in how people look at things, at themselves, and what they stand for. That's shame on me.”
To be the bearer of the uncomfortable truth is never convenient. It sometimes holds a gun to your head, threatening you to silence the reality and to never speak of what is true and scary. But no matter how nasty the truth is—no matter if you’re held at gunpoint—the message will never be killed.
It’s not fair for us—the messengers—who do not create the news but simply deliver to the masses, to be imprisoned in the system that controls and silences what is true.
I fear the death of the messenger births a fear to demand justice in this society. Why? Because pages are ripped while the pen bleeds, and voices that seek to be heard are sealed tight by a suppressive system that once promised progression.
This builds anger, confusion, and a question in the service of the messengers. Do they have the right to deliver if saying what's real requires you to contest power for transparency and justice? This is why many of those with voices refuse to stand firm and speak up because they already know how this ends.
The way I see it, they fear their image to be ripped to shreds—fear that the picture becomes exposed to those who fail to see what lies behind their painted reality. But isn’t that the whole point? We were born to be the bearers of the truth, not to lie, not to pretend, but to inform.
The messenger carries a duty to inform the masses, but if the words are refined and erased, then what’s the point? Because the truth that’s modified, censored, and babied is not transparency but a mask behind the covered reality.
The messenger, the journalist, the press—three words with the same duty: To piss those who created a wrongful system. And I do believe that’s what a real reporter does. They stand firm with the truth while they’re threatened to be silenced. But you simply cannot dismiss what’s already there.
Though even if censorship does not take no for an answer, it still cannot erase what’s already happening. They can pretend the world is filled with sunshine and rainbows; however, what is real will never cease to exist.
You cannot suppress the press, and you surely cannot silence the voice that longs to awaken the truth. As stated in the RA 7079, we have the right and the freedom to speak of what is necessary, remaining as a major factor in institutions, where campus journalists are given the entitlement to produce news that is factual and ethical.
No suppression or censorship should ever be the reason you refuse to deliver the truth. The messenger never hid its pen and paper, even at times they were held at gunpoint. So don’t kill the messenger because of a reality they didn’t cause. Some truths are too real to tell, but it is necessary to be heard.
Remember this: you can kill the messenger, but you can never kill the message. You can suppress the press, but never deny the truth. Be a part of the reason our nation is progressive by fighting for what’s right and denying those who seek your silence. Our nation deserves to know the truth, and the truth shouldn’t have to move mountains and cross oceans for it to be released. Because as reporters, it’s our duty that the society is seen, and so is the nasty, uncomfortable truth.
“I wasn’t silenced because I never wrote anything until now that really mattered to a lot of people. Mattered in a scary way. I'm not going to take it back, because I knew my job was to tell the public the truth - the facts, pretty or not.”
Written by Nessa, Insight PH
Nessa, Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
