The Yellow Paper

Signing on

Every morning I have the habit of taking a long walk around our subdivision. Whenever I pass a sari-sari store selling newspapers I couldn't resist on peeking at the headlines. I am inspired about writing about them not because of anything but out of my personal observation regarding the quality of their stories printed. When I was in college my Journalism professor Sir Ron (who is now a reporter on TV Patrol World) discussed in class about sensationalism in media, both on broadcast and print. In the latter, the tabloids lead the way. Such sensationalism is termed Yellow Journalism. The objective of adulterating facts with subjective interjections is more for commercial purposes. And it figures: headlines about murders, rapes, crimes of passion and exposés screams at the front page;pictures of bloodied cadavers printed in full color instead in black and white and on some tabloids, pictures of near naked, or naked women grace the front. ( I collected some of them ha ha ha).

Compared to broad sheets, tabloids are more accesible to the mass market because it is cheaper, convenient, and generally understood by all since some of them are written in Filipino. With the exception of the few which are cleaner and decent, tabloids, in my opinion, is more on the business of selling than in the business of truth. The fact that they cater to patrons who digs such stories contributes much to their increase in profit. I know, I was one of them.

Now there's a couple of tabloids on the top of the computer desk where I am currently typing this post. I have read them before I started writing. I know why it's so popular. But I decline to reason why; somebody might lynch me...

Signing off