What are journalists like?

Journalists struck me as odd. I used to think of them as people who relished only in scandals and scalawags. It’s because when the government is in shambles, they’re frenzied. I couldn’t understand, too, why they’re often, if not always, critical on the government. Are they born to be the government’s adversaries? Are they being critical for the sake of being critical?

I drop by NBS, and look what I've got

The other night I spent an hour in NBS  going through the mound of books there. All the digging paid off. Just when I was about to leave, I espied a book that I thought is interesting. It's called "Watchdogs of Democracy" subtitled "The Waning Washington Press Corps And How It Has Failed The Public." It was written by Helen Thomas, a member of the Fifth Estate. The Fifth Estate comprises that rare band of people who maintain a critical eye on the media, the Fourth Estate.

[caption id="attachment_256" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Watchdogs of Democracy: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Failed The Public"][/caption]

For Php 99.00 I bought the book (Hardbound). Curiously, I checked it out in the internet to know how much it's usually sold. Amazon.com sells it for  $11.20 (roughly Php 526.00). At ebay, the price varies: from $1.00, to $16.00, to $50.00.

I somehow managed to skim a few pages of the book. For all its obvious reference to the press in the USA, I think it strikes some familiar chord in the Philippines. After all, the press, regardless of the country where it operates, has an ultimate task: To pursue the truth wherever it leads.

I have yet to read its entirety. Suffice it to say now that my lifelong dream of having a library myself is coming to pass.