TAGUM CITY (MindaNews / 31 March) — I never expected that a gathering such as the recently concluded Bayi-lines Safety Awareness and Trauma Healing Retreat could ever happen. Journalists need this but most of the gatherings I had known had always been on reportage and updating of some national or pressing international situations.
That is why, upon receiving the invitation, I readily signed up because I know that I needed this kind of gathering.
I have been in the industry for about two decades and in all those times, I have never ever had any psychological check-ups, exercises or the like. Media people are expected to be stronger than any other, so I lived with it, despite the welling doubts and qualms.
I was never asked about how I am after the tragedies I have seen and all the morbid situations I covered. Thus, I was most excited and so grateful already even before the retreat started.
As a regular beneficiary of MindaNews’ crusade for quality media outputs and coverages and imposition of journalism ethics and discipline, I could not contain my excitement in this new kind of activity, really.
Packaged as BAYI-LINES: Stories We Carry, Lives We Write, we were looking forward for our personal growth after the sessions.
The venue was a quiet, soothing and beautiful place. From the pool to the sea and even the view from our room’s window, I was already drawn to the reality that the session would finally be about me, about us and whatever it is that made me/us what I am/we are now.
Dr. Gail Ilagan as the first speaker on March 2 was an opening salvo for the reality that indeed, journalists like myself have endured directly or indirectly to whatever it was that we covered, stories we wrote and incidents we experienced.
I have many life-threatening experiences to enumerate and I realized that I have stopped entertaining my own fears since I do not know anymore. I am not even sure if I have become calloused or something is already wrong with me.
The lecture though taught us how to detect the impact of every story to our body and how to ease ourselves from it. Dr. Ilagan emphasized that we may not know it, but our body remembers. And as such that we should give ourselves a moment to breathe from all our experiences in doing our job, especially traumatic experiences.
Ms. Vina Araneta-Pilapil for her part also made us remember the stories that truly moved us. How could I ever forget those times when I silently cried for my stories, wishing to fight for and give my subjects the justice that they deserved.
In the afternoon and the following morning, our sessions had arts and candle-making activities which were truly inspiring and which gave me an idea on how to take a break and to do something different for myself. Both sessions were fun and funny and inspirational.
The last input on March 3 with Dr. Ilagan pulled me from the silent abyss of my psyche. It felt exhausting when we were asked: how did we wind up in this profession, how was our experience, what story/stories we cannot forget and how do we see ourselves in the future?
Answering the questions made me realize that I have forgotten myself for quite a long time already. Remembering how I started in this industry made me think that journalism is not just my job and obligation but my calling — my role for my constituents and even to the world in this lifetime.
This profession was in fact what I had wanted as a child. This was my choice and this is my life. I hurdled ample challenges as a newbie in the industry. I wanted to give up so many times but now I find the challenges in the media industry are what I have mastered to counter and survive.
I have remained standing, strong and capable since MS-DOS era to this moment of technology where we can make news even by the phone. I have survived the street news selling and now the era of social media.
Above all, the session made me bump some directions because I was asked of the future. What is it that I want to become?
Essentially, the retreat made me find my sense of wholeness and strength as a woman journalist. I have endured most of the odds already and for now, I have a sense of direction as I want to be the woman who would serve the unheard more and who would lead a sensible news outlet that would serve the less and would uplift every ordinary Juan/Juana in my community and the country. I am confident that when I get tired, I should remind that not all dreams are realized but I dreamt to become a media person, and I made it.
To MindaNews & MIJ, I am so grateful. You always bring out the best in me. You are not just a producer of quality news stories but you also care to develop us who are working in our local/community news outlets. You ushered good journalism in Mindanao.
(Domsy Ramos is a writer, editor and the manager of community newspaper – MP Pahayagan Mindanaw News Publishing (MPPMNP). She leads some 20 personnel in its operations fin Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, Caraga Region and Leyte. She has been in the media for two decades now and had worked as a writer/correspondent/ columnist/ editor to news outlets such as Tagum City Mantalaan, Periodico, Bagdok, & Sunstar-Superbalita. Though not active in the broadcasting at this time, she is a licensed member of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and was able to serve also as a hard-hitting commentator in different radio stations in Tagum City. She has fully embraced journalism as her life’s calling and purpose and is determined to pursue relevant and real journalism and to lead co-journalists in pursuing such purposeful endeavors)
[BAYI-LINES is part of the Safety Training Series of the Media Impact Philippines project implemented by the Mindanao Institute of Journalism (MinJourn), publisher of MindaNews, in partnership with the International Media Support (IMS) with funding from the European Union and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.]
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