NONSTOP SCOOPING THE TRUTH

Nowadays, the movies that depict the media, and journalists in particular, are noteworthy everywhere in the world. There are undoubtedly more nations that produce films or movies about the media, but some of the best ones I watched were from the Philippines, Korea, Japan, and the United States of America. The varied lifestyles that journalists lead—being positioned on the sides of good and wrong or in the middle—always disappoint me, based on the films I have already seen. In addition, men are consistently on the side of wicked deeds, while women and citizens are usually the victims.

Having money is the most common means of oppressing the victim, thus it has numerous connections with many people who wish to cover the truth. With a very fresh movie aligned to journalism, it once again tested the perspectives and reaction to walk the roots underground. Another example of how lies and truths are presented to the public using money—the most potent tool for victimization—is found in the film "Scoop." This piece will discuss how the media can either support or undermine powerful individuals, how the truth always pops out even when it is suppressed, and how this demonstrates that there are still courageous journalists in the media. And also, this film has a connection to the same events here in the Philippines. One of these was the scandal of the Secretary of the Department of Justice's son. He denied the scandal of his son as the public knew that his son was one of the drug users.

To get to know more about the Scoop, here is the synopsis shared by netflix. In an interview on television that focused on Andrew's relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of his sexual assault of a minor, which Andrew denies, the film tells the behind-the-scenes story of the women who agreed upon with the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the "scoop of the decade" that was the public catalyst for Prince Andrew's downfall. In early 2022, Andrew settled out of court for a settlement of £12 million. Later, the interview was compared to "a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion" rather than a vehicle accident.

SCOOP: How can the media either support or undermine powerful individuals?

First, influential people can have a friendly or hostile relationship with the media. Regarding the problem of powerful individuals gaining media coverage, some journalists would do anything to be bribed or given greater power. The viewpoint of Jason, who was employed to resolve Royals problems, served as a case study of this. This person intended to clear everything by his own plan because he knew friendly press, and he is confident in it because he can make any suggestion to protect Royal's reputation. In the year 2010, the Prince backed him in his plan to tidy up Prince's mess. Jason's tactic of involving the media clearly demonstrates that there is/are media practitioners who may be able to agree upon the influential ones. This is a poor illustration of media practice.

However, Jason was unable to correct the previous disaster toward the end of the movie since the media's visit to the palace with Prince went against Jason's way of thinking.

SCOOP: How does the truth always pop out even when it is suppressed and how

does this demonstrate that there are still courageous journalists in the media?

Second, since exposing the truth is the most effective way to bring about positive change, the truth will always come to glow, even when it is suppressed. Since there are journalists who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth, the truth can never be kept a secret. Like in real life, the journalists shown in the film Scoop, don't give up until the truth is exposed. The fearless journalists portrayed in the movie are almost exclusively played by women. Sam got Amanda's bravery and trust to interview because of her diligence and perseverance. Sam feels very confident in his ability to advance the plot by simply telling Royal the truth rather than basing it around the friend Epstein.

Scandal of DOJ Secretary’s son

Finally, let’s talk about the scandal of the DOJ Secretary’s son as it has been a

controversy in the past years. The son of Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus

Crispin “Boying” Remulla was arrested by authorities for alleged possession of marijuana, the DOJ chief confirmed on Thursday, October 13. (Bolledo, 2022). After the DOJ secretary gave up on his son's issue, a few months passed and the prosecution seemed to be saying that there was insufficient evidence for the accused. According to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in 2023, The prosecution was questioned by the court for failing to provide proof that the accused knew the package he received contained marijuana. The package was held for several days before being given to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on October 10, 2022.

What message do they wish to spread to the public about the son of the DOJ secretary, given that there is still uncertainty about his ability to face consequences for his misdeeds? This is the way the judiciary is fading away which is why the phrase "Ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman" is true. This incident is connected to the film since there should be a chance to fix that mistake, but it gets worse, and it tries to worsen the issue at hand. Will this incident be

similar to the one in the movie where it took years for the truth to come to emerge?

In conclusion, influential people might have friends or adversaries in the media. Regarding the problem of powerful individuals receiving media coverage, some journalists would do anything to be bribed or given more authority. Since revealing the truth is the most effective approach to bring about positive change, the truth will always come to light, even when it is suppressed. Since there are journalists who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth, the truth can never be kept concealed. The incident mentioned above had to do with the movie since it displays how mistakes should be corrected, but instead of making things worse, it tries to sustain controversy. The event also replicates the event in the film that took several years before the truth emerged.

Before ending this piece, as one of the notable lines said by one of the journalists on the film, “We p ut the time in to get the stories other shows won’t. Stories that need to be told,that people care about, hold the powerful to account and give victims a voice.”