NOW it has come
to a point that both camps from the progressive groups and the state forces had
to resort to a classic formula: propaganda.
However, this
time, the battleground is not only on the traditional media platforms but
eventually in a new and wider scale: social media and an advanced form of
community organizing.
At the end of the
day, it is the indigenous peoples and their community was torn between the
right and the left; however, both sides agreed to one existence: the
paramilitary forces. As to who endowed them with arms and the license to kill
is the elusive part of the equation.
If you listen to
the military, it is from the communist rebels, who were also backed by the
“progressive and left-leaning” organizations.
And if you listen
to the progressive groups, it is the military, who is the main suspect in the
killing the tribal leaders and volunteers in alternative schools in the hinterlands
because they are likely to be “sympathizers” of the New People’s Army and
teaches communist doctrines.
The ingredients
of propaganda are so rich that it needs a “show” by community organizing, in
order to “affirm” the whole situation that can be favorable to the both sides’
end.
So, they
organized fora, conferences as well as “dialogues” and “peace building”
activities and later that day would be a “declaration of truth” and a “call for
unity.” Then they write about it and disseminate the information
as-a-matter-of-fact.
And here we are,
the public, left confused and sometimes easily sold out to the propaganda that
we’re getting. How do we know the real score if majority of us are just the
reading public and media-consuming individuals who also have our own lives to
tend to.
Propaganda has
been the name of the game not just in conflict stories but also it is always a
friendly tool for politicians; in fact, it is gaining ground for making the
Marcos years and Martial Law a once beautiful fairytale.
But how do we
know what is a “propagandized” story from the actual narrative?
In the case of
the lumad killings in Mindanao , first, you
must understand the context -- the voice where it is coming from. When a news
breaks out, you must link the organizations who were quick to accuse and be
accused of doing so, and link them where are they closely related or in allied
into.
You must
understand the movements and actions initiated by these organizations. But most
of all, you should count how many neutral and independent organizations reached
out to the situation and reported major discrepancies in order to gauge, who
among those sides are fabricating stories and save their faces.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/opinion/2015/09/27/luczon-propaganda-warfare-432605
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