Not just an art, but a science of truth-telling

My closest friends know I'm not at all a fan of Patricia Evangelista, much less of her so-called journalism. But since there's no denying she's talented, I'm posting a video she made of an industry stalwart whose seemingly traditional journalistic views and values contribute to maintaining the principles of the profession, even in an age of converging mediums and compromises.

Photo by PhotoSteve101 on Flickr, under Creative Commons.

Philippine Daily Inquirer publisher and veteran journalist Isagani Yambot, who died last March 2, speaks in the video in a way characteristic of many experienced journalists I've met.

They entered the profession with selfless intentions and an allegiance to the truth. Whether his newspaper consistently serves this purpose is open to debate, but many journalists have managed to remain promoters of culture by sticking to verity while honing their craft.

"It's like (the) priesthood. When you enter journalism you take a vow of poverty, because especially in print media, the salaries are not very high. You also have to take a vow of obedience, because you have to obey the laws of journalism," Yambot said.

He also sees the industry like a communion of saints who share the same fleeting but noble ideals, even to the point of death.

"Journalism as a whole--as a profession--will be affected ... by the deaths of these people. Every man's death diminishes us," he said, referring to the killings of practitioners in Maguindanao in 2009. #