When Inks Bleed Through

The room was dim. The only source of light the woman with a pen has comes from an almost
fully melted candle. She struggled to keep her pen steady as it glided through the piece of old paper
on the table in front of her. Perhaps it was because of the dark, perhaps it was because of the cold,
perhaps it was because of the hunger. Or perhaps it was because of the nightmares she’s been having.
She stopped writing for a moment, unable to think of what to write next. She closed her eyes and
remembered the moment she saw a colleague being dragged away by men wearing suspicious
clothing. Then, she thought about all the times she heard about her co-workers going missing or
being found dead. The grip she had on her pen tightened. Ever since she started hearing news about
her co-workers' disappearances, she hasn’t touched her computer or her pen. Scared that the same
will happen to her. Unsure if she will keep her current job. Unsure if she still wants to continue the
passion she’s had for decades. But now she is sure of one thing: her ink will be the weapon to put a
stop to all of those atrocities once and for all.

"Journalism is the first rough draft of history" are words that came from Philip L. Graham, a
co-owner of the Washington Post. Journalism refers to the gathering of information and facts and
writing the collected information and facts in a way that the public can read with ease. It is one of the
most underappreciated professions in the world. It is a dangerous job that requires great mental
strength, adaptability, and bravery. Journalists attack solely with their words and thoughts. It’s a
noble profession that only a few could take to heart. But they rarely get recognition for their skills
and importance, especially in modern times. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that there will be
an estimated 4.8% decline in journalism jobs by 2030. It is a sad fact given that journalists are one of
the most important people in keeping citizens informed.Furthermore, journalists have had a long
history of starting their stories with a lot of political issues such as tyranny, dictatorship, corruption,
and so on. Dmitry Muratov, a Russian journalist, founded Novaya Gazeta, a publication that
advocates for democracy and freedom of expression in Russia, for which he received the Nobel
Peace Prize. This is an impressive feat given that criticizing the Russian government can result in
immediate incarceration. In addition to this, Muratov auctioned off his Nobel Peace Prize medal and
donated the proceeds to Ukrainian refugees affected by Russia’s attempted invasion of Ukraine.
Journalism also helped the Philippines gain their independence from Spain when José Rizal created
La Solidaridad, a newspaper organization composed of Filipino liberals and students, in order to
express the Propaganda Movement's goal of achieving integration with Spain. Journalists who were
members of La Solidaridad exposed the injustices of the Spanish administration and demanded
liberty and fairness for Filipinos. It goes to show how impactful journalism has been throughout the
history of political issues and what a grave loss it would be without it.

To silence journalists and their criticism, authorities usually take the easy route and simply
kill them. Although they occasionally make an effort and attempt to bribe them, UNESCO reported
that up to September 2022, there had already been 66 journalists killed. A number higher than in
2020 and 2021, which had 62 and 46 journalists killed, respectively. Ending the lives of those who
only perform their job and benefit society by informing them about the events they should know
about is a brutal and inhumane act and a hardship that shouldn't be a part of their line of work. In a
report to the Human Rights Council, UN expert Khan stated that "silencing journalists by killing
them is the most egregious form of censorship." In the Philippines, 103 journalists were killed during
the presidency of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Other than the killings of journalists,
they also regularly struggle with censorship. Threats of murder against journalists are connected to
censorship, although less severely. Under censorship, the total freedom of journalists to express their
reports is prohibited. Censorship does not, however, necessarily take place as a result of intervening
parties. Sometimes, it occurs either out of bias or out of pure fear of the journalists. It is one of the
most subtle and overlooked issues facing journalism today, as censorship gradually erodes the
objectivity of the medium, defeating journalism's intended purpose. In addition to the killings (most
of which are extrajudicial) and the censorship of reporters, a big threat that holds journalism down is
misinformation. Misinformation is spread by unreliable and untrustworthy sources, such as
unauthorized pages in social media and on the internet, fake news sites, individual hoaxers, and the
like. Six out of ten journalists polled are either extremely (33%), or very concerned (24%), about
potential restrictions on press freedoms in the United States, while 53% of Filipino journalists are
concerned about fake news, the highest among Asia-Pacific peers. Misinformation is a big threat to
journalists because it damages the purpose of journalism, which is to provide truth. When
misinformation spreads, people tend to settle for and stick to the information that reached them first,
which is harmful to the spread of actual facts and reliable details. This can create a huge problem,
especially in the context of politics, just like how fake news heavily affected the 2016 elections in
United States where 20 popular fake news stories got more interactions than 20 popular real news
stories. While in the Philippines, the BBC reported on an anonymous man who claimed to be hired
by politicians to spread fake news.
 There are numerous ways to combat the aforementioned threats to journalism. But the truth
is, only journalism itself can save itself from those threats. Journalists have had a great impact on the
political scene. With Bhagat Singh, a political journalist who frequently produced politically charged
and socially rooted writings on a wide range of current issues that shook the reactionary conformism
of the ruling elite of the time, namely British officials. With Fritz Gerlich, a German journalist who
wrote factual dirt on dictator Adolf Hitler before dying honorably. With Maria Ressa, who was
recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting for people’s freedom of expression, human
dignity, and democratic government, is reporting on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's
authoritarian administration. Journalism is a path fraught with peril. It may be filthy, gory, terrifying,
and stressful, but it is real. It is not deceptive. It keeps people's eyes wide open. It keeps people's ears
open. It secures and protects people's trust. Journalists are truth-tellers who help the lost find their
way. Journalism is a candlelight, a light that burns brightly despite the rain to overcome the cold
odds.

The room was bright. There were multiple candles around the room. The woman sat in a pew
as she stared at the coffin in front of her. She’s been sitting there for an hour. She realized this and
felt the need to stand up and breathe some fresh air. When she was finally out, she closed her eyes
and remembered her fallen colleagues. She remembered the destruction the enormous rallies brought
upon her town, which still felt like it was yesterday. She was reflecting on the tragedy. The pain it
brought, the friends she’s lost, the cries she’s heard, and the screams that echoed. Her reminiscing
was paused when she felt a piece of paper hit her shoe. She opened her eyes to look at what the piece
of paper contained. She saw familiar handwriting, familiar wording, and familiar emotions. It was the
article she wrote a month ago. An article that fueled the determination of the Filipinos to overthrow
the dictatorship of their president. An article that she wrote in a dim room on an old piece of paper
was written from the bottom of her heart, from her pain, her anger, and her fear. An article that
contained the ink that was left with her after all the tragedies she’s seen, heard, and experienced. The
vengeful ink that had bled through her paper served peace to all.
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