Now Legislator Denis Arce and those who want to turn journalism into a racket just like the taxi syndicates say they're going to the people. They had a hearing with journalists' organizations, media owners and universities --- SOME organizations, SOME media, and SOME universities that do not have their own student-run newspapers or broadcast stations. Not coincidentally, almost all of those consulted were the same potential mafiosi who would stand to profit by being placed in control of the issuance of the licenses that would replace freedom of the press.

NOT INVITED to the hearing by deputy Arce's Transportation and Communications Committee, or to sit on the little subcommittee that were set up, were Panama's foreign-language media (The Panama News and our Chinese-language newspapers and radio station), whom the committee seeks to regulate; the foreign correspondents in Panama, whom the committee seeks to regulate; independent radio journalism in general, whom both Arce's committee and the Ente Regulador seek to regulate; or the growing Internet sector of the news media.

One of those who was invited to speak, La Prensa's Winston Robles, represented the Forum de Periodistas and spoke for both the best of the profession in Panama and for the mainstream of journalistic opinion around the world. He denounced the very idea of licensing journalism as "an aberration" that if enacted would make Panama look like a pathetic banana republic in the eyes of the rest of the world.

Those who spoke for the officially-favored "colegio" and "sindicato" said that Panamanian journalism needs to be regulated in order to achieve professional status, but offered no coherent reason why this is so. Moreover, their argument was in itself an admission that they lack professional status --- so why should anyone listen to them?

Yes, Panamanian journalism needs higher standards, and the first step toward that ought to be the establishment of student newspapers at our universities. Setting up a licensing board on the lines of our taxi mafias would be a leap in the opposite direction.

For most folks, no news is good news; for the press, good news is not news.

Gloria Borger

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Benjamin Franklin

Men do not care how nobly they live, but only how long, although it is within the reach of every man to live nobly, but within no man's power to live long.

Seneca

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