"The public has the right to know." This expression is often quoted by intrepid journalists in search of the story that will make their careers. But, as many of the big-ticket stories of 2010 showed us, the truth is that while the public does have the right to know, we don't have the right to know everything.
After the Quirino Grandstand hostage taking event last year, the media was placed under scrutiny and lambasted in the public arena for being made up of relentless story hounds with an overdose of stubbornness and a complete absence of sensitivity.
But such generalities do a great disservice to those journalists, anchors, and reporters who have done the best to show the world the truth of things while never forgetting the human element to their stories. These are journalists for whom ethics and compassion are bywords of the trade they ply, reporters for whom journalism cannot and should not exist without responsibility.
The five women below who have been selected as finalists in the Media category of Female Network's first Womanity Awards are staunch practitioners of responsible journalism; they try to raise not just awareness through the stories they feature, but action as well.
Vote for the media personality who has inspired you the most to open your eyes to the realities of the world you live in by clicking on the banner below.
