Not going to be Julie Yap-Daza
"You must be wondering how, The boy next door turned out, Have a care, But don’t stare, Because he’s still there
Lamenting policewomen policemen silly women taxmen, Uniformed whores, They who wish to hurt you, Work within the law
This world is full, So full of crashing bores, And I must be one, ‘Cos no one ever turns to me to say
Take me in your arms, Take me in your arms, And love me
You must be wondering how, The boy next door turned out, Have a care, And say a prayer, Because he’s still there
Lamenting policewomen policemen silly women taxmen, Uniformed whores, Educated criminals, Work within the law
This world is full, Oh oh, So full of crashing bores, And I must be one, cos no one ever turns to me to say
Take me in your arms, Take me in your arms, And love me, And love me
What really lies, Beyond the constraints of my mind, Could it be the sea, With fate mooning back at me
No it’s just more lock jawed pop stars, Thicker than pig shit, Nothing to convey
They’re so scared to show intelligence, It might smear their lovely career
This world, I am afraid, Is designed for crashing bores, I am not one, I am not one
You don’t understand, You don’t understand, And yet you can, Take me in your arms and love me, Love me, And love me
Take me in your arms and love me, Love me, love me, Take me in your arms and love me, Take me in your arms and love me
Would you do, Would you do, What you should do, Oh oh oh, Oh oh"
- Morrissey from You are the Quarry album, 2004
—
It’s a definite sign that something’s not right in my internal world when I begin listening to Morrisey.
Miserabilist.
The publisher is on the warpath and wants the newspaper to be more ‘popular.’
Holy crap. Now I’m in a popularity contest and am expected to dress up the newspaper when all this time I’ve been working hard to make it a credible product of journalism.
The concept of popularity makes me want to chew nails and spit them out sharply honed. Guess in which and in whose direction I want to spit them out.
I wil admit, however, that this is something that I did foresee.
We’ve received feedback that the newspaper has become ’serious’ and has ‘deviated from its original format’ which is, please prepare your airline sick bags, ‘light and breezy reading which leaves readers with a smile on their face.’
Yes, you are excused. I myself almost threw up yesterday when I heard that description.
I will not yield to this.
—-
I actually feel as if my hands have been shackled; or I’ve been told to write using marshmallows or KandyKorn. I tell myself that this is nothing but a small obstacle I have to overcome (something Chi also has to deal with. And he’s also having a difficult time adjusting to this return to Journalism Lite. He’s also new here, he got here only a month before I did; and he’s a serious reporter who believes in advocacy journalism).
This will blow over. Stupid effing feedback. What’s wrong with being a serious newspaper? It’s like being told to be Julia Yap-Daza when she used to be editor in chief of the former Manila Standard. Utang na loob.
May 17th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
Naaalala mo nung panahon ng “Fax Operators’ Forum?” Kahit naman sa atin, mayroong mga disagreements sa pagitan natin at mga bosing. (Pero iba naman ang antas ng kaisahan natin, I know.)
Alam kong nasabi mo na nakikinita mo na na mangyayari ito noong una. Kaya huwag mo dapat tingnan na sa iyo lang ito nangyayari. Natural ang tensyon sa pagitan ng editor at publisher sa commercial media.
Kaya din, huwag mong personalin masyado yang publisher mo, kundi puputukan ka lang ng ugat hanggang di niyo na kayanin ang isa’t isa.
Mahalaga ang ginagawa mo para sa dyaryong iyan at mahalaga ang papel nito para sa mga migrante riyan. Behikulo pa rin yan. Hangga’t maari, huwag bitawan ’til the end of your contract. (Pero best pa rin na bumalik ka na rito.)
Tingnan mo rin ito–
Ubra kaya na bagaman seryoso ang mga gusto mong ilabas ay bigyan mo nga ng kaunting lite treatment? Hindi yung political killings at poverty pero yung mga kabalastugan ng mga taga-embassy o antics ng politicos dito sa atin. There are many ways of eating a balut, ika nga.
Mag-feature ka rin ng lite stories. They are not necessarily bad. Dapat lang ilinaw kung anong parte ng dyaryo ang seryoso, alin ang lite.
It’s good that you stand up to your publisher. Ibang bagay naman yung didigmain mo na talaga siya.
Be well!