In a comment posted in a blog, a person wrote, and I quote:

“That attitude of moral superiority is exactly what makes a lot of people cringe and drive away any supporters. You question my PERSONAL moral values for disagreeing with your organization? I do not question your PERSONAL moral values – or any person involved in BWM. This is the best argument you can come up with in defense of your movement, huh? Laughable.”

Precisely why we are in this rut.Isn’t moral superiority the reason that drove people to EDSA I and II? Laughable? Pathetic. And by the tone of the comment, the commenter is exercising moral superiority, no?
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In reaction to GMA’s war against media speech (yes, Virginia, I am exaggerating), I posted this comment on Jove Francisco’s blog:

Pls. tell GMA to give us good news that her administration is really responsible for. She should stop claiming credit for something that definitely is not due to her doing.

Also, the media will not report a thing if it didn’t happen. It’s as simple as that. That’s what I had learned when I was a student journalism. The facts speak for themselves – her government is making so many slip-ups. If the media don’t report those, the people would say the media is anti-GMA. And vice versa. It is a dilemma.

GMA is not the right person to define what is responsible journalism for (1) she is, and was, not a journalist; and (2) she has no qualms about not telling the truth.

We always shoot the messenger (ok not shoot, maybe persecute) when they speak the bad news. That’s also biblical, with the way the prophets lived at those times.

The media is not perfect. There are those who abuse their responsibilities. There are those who confuses news with opinion. But the industry has a self-regulating mechanism, and most of its practitioners are responsible enough to do their work honestly and with integrity.

What struck me about Joey Legarda’s comment is this line: I think that if media does not humble it’s(sic) self, it will not grow. True. Maybe you can also say that to your president. If she keeps on being arrogant, dishonest, and insincere, she will not grow (figuratively, as we can’t do anything about the literal).

Her arrogance will be her downfall. If the bumbling opposition, the confused “progressives”, and the well-intentioned people cannot unseat her, her arrogance will be her own undoing. You can get away with trespasses, but only to a point. If she keeps on pushing everyone on the brink with such smugness, I cannot guarantee what will happen next.

What she need to do is to look at the mirror and ask herself if she knows what she is doing. Attacking the media will not profit her. She just keep on adding enemies.

Sir, keep on reporting the news as it is. You know what you are doing. Read or listen to comments from those who’d rather sit out and let things be, then take them in stride.

Lastly: honesty is the best policy, specially in journalism. That’s all.

I disagree with this blog entry.

Why? The basis for that PCIJ blog entry is available for public scrutiny; it’s been on official records of the gummint. Privacy? The wife of foolish Tiongco lost it when her stupid husband dipped his d**k into public domain that is politics. Again it is on OFFICIAL RECORD.

Tiongco wanted his n-minutes of fame. He should have told his wife to brace for impact.

The blog entry in question is already taken down. Here is the Yahoo! cache and the Google cache of that blog entry. Read and decide for yourself.

PCIJ has been ordered by a Quezon City court to take down a blog entry.

This is the first time that a court restrains a blog.

More here.

This is a precedent-setting jurisprudence that might have a significant, long term effect on blogging. This will definitely reach the Supreme Court. Since discussing the case is sub judice, let’s wait and see. Lawyer-bloggers will definitely tackle this. Simply stated, it all boils down to one significant Constitutional guarantee: freedom of speech.