FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION... REALLY?

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

–Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

I learned two important things these past few days: First, that the whole freedom of expression thing, which is allegedly an inherent right among all of us as declared in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is a foreign concept in most of the corporate world. Apparently, corporate image is far more important than this supposedly universal right. Second, that whole notion of telling the truth as it is, which I learned in my UST Journalism classes, is also a foreign concept in most of the corporate world. Apparently, the truth is defined by corporate bigwigs. If the bosses say it’s the truth, then all an employee can do is agree with it, even if it isn’t the truth. So if a regular rank-and-file employee goes all Jack Nicholson on the boss and says, “The truth? You can’t handle the truth!” he or she will either be admonished, suspended, or fired--no questions asked, no explanations accepted.

Marcos would have been proud...