The Actuality of Journalism

Journalists have been notable for gathering information, writing about a news story and sometimes interviewing people to support their information.
It is, rather, unusual for them to be interviewed themselves and be seated at the hot seat.

I happened to interview Mr. Julius Segovia, News Producer and Business reporter in GMA-7, which happened to teach me the actuality of journalism.

He has been in the field for several years, and also a media lecturer at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) and former professor at Adamson University (AdU).

In actuality, I interviewed him for the finals requirement of my journalism course. Unlike my block mates, I got his contact details from a reliable source, which is a friend of mine, easily. I texted him in the last week of October, and he agreed.

However, he has weeks of appointment in South Korea and I have to wait for him to come back here in the Philippines.

When I texted him and he immediately replied, I felt relieved, because some of my other block mates were only communicating with their interviewees through Twitter, or Facebook.

I felt excited and ecstatic to interview him because I know he has a good reputation. Also, this is not the first time I have interviewed –or mingled, I must say, a journalist. I have also talked to Sir Tonipet Gaba, Ms. Victoria Tulad, and Claire Delfin and enjoyed it even if short-lived.

However, I have realized the competition and the importance of time when I heard that there would be two of us to interview him at the same time. Mr. Segovia and I had arrangements that Monday morning and he told me to go to GMA at 5pm because he could only be available until 6pm.

So, I got ready by 3pm and arrived at GMA an hour and a quarter earlier. However, my co-interviewee was late by 30 minutes and I was practically paranoid and frantic because Sir Julius might want to cancel the interview.

Punctuality and trust of the source or interviewee is very important because an of time constraints and their busy schedule. They do not have much time to allot with you so you must better use it wisely and efficiently.

That is why I am surprised when, by the grace of God, he did not cancel the interview.

The Interview

As a journalist he spoke with clarity and conviction in his answers. Mainly, he was very accommodating and I felt like he was just a simple person, and it felt like we are equals.

He was an aspiring lawyer when he was young, and today, he was focusing his career on business beats. Usually, his stories are technical, in relation in electric, water and other consumer news. His technique in news writing and reporting was mainly directed to connect with the public, applying the news into concrete examples so a simple Juan dela Cruz would understand it better. He was also a dedicated media practitioner, working 7 days a week -5 for GMA, 2 for teaching in PLM.

He basically studied Communication Arts in his undergraduate study because he thought he could improve his public speaking skills through that course. But after he graduated, he got a job immediately in media.

He emphasized the importance of good health and fitness in the field, “kailangan siya…kasi may appearance ka sa TV, iyon yung mahirap e. That, I think, is the challenge for TV reporters. Papaano ka makapagedeliver ng news na patas, na tama, kumpleto, naayon sa detalye, factual?

And at the same time, you should maintain your personality? Hindi mo lang iniisp yung detalye ng sinasabi mo [kung hindi] pati na rin yung sarili mo…” and laughed about how I had mentioned his Instagram post that he had gym sessions.

He preferred Filipino language, that’s why he was always using Filipino during the interview. Since, GMA also use Filipino mainly for its viewers, reporters like Sir Julius use Filipino as their medium in reporting.

When I asked him a lot of questions and few of his answers I piqued interest in his answers in terms of Political issues. In a question, “Since there wass a rumored proposition of bill regarding licensure exams in media practice, what can you say about its necessity in media practitioners?” He said he has not heard it quite yet.

As I heard his statement, I immediately thought to argue with him. However, I was a bit bashful in arguing with him.

He just said “Maganda nga iyon, para mafilter na bago pa pumasok sa industry.What would PRC do with you? Alangan namang isa-isahin nila yung profile ng lahat?”

“It’s not in the grade. Maganda lang ‘yan tignan sa resume, but mainly, hindi naman siya nagmamatter. Wala nga rin sa school iyan e. Ang makakatulong siguro, yung workshops and seminars. You need to get out of the box, maginvest sa mga workshops, kasi eventually, makakatulong talaga siya.”he said.

University of Santo Tomas (UST), being the not the most prioritized school among the top 4 Universities, I am encouraged by his words.

The Actuality of Journalism

In this activity, even for an hour of interview with him, I had learned a lot. I was inspired of the things that I learned from him. Despite the shortcomings in the start of my interview, I am truly happy.

Happy because I experienced this interview session with him and now I look forward to more enjoying interviews with intellectual people.

“Kayo ba nakakapasyal sa Luneta?…baka nagphophotoshoot kayo minsan… Pero napansin niyo ba kung nasaang kamay nakapatong yung libro ni Rizal?”

I never have thought of that. And that same moment, I realized that it is a necessity for every journalist to develop their own critical thinking and analysis because it would surely lead one’s way to be a real journalist.