Remembering World Press Freedom Day: Filipino journalists also ‘heroes’ in COVID-19 fight
Published May 3, 2020 1:58:14 PM
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 3) — As the Philippines marks World Press Freedom Day, the government has hailed journalists as “heroes” too in the raging battle against the deadly coronavirus.
“As the whole world wages war against an invisible enemy, Filipinos have come to realize the importance of the role that journalists and media workers play in this time of crisis,” the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said in a statement over the weekend.
The PTFoMS, which acts as the inter-agency body tasked to protect members of the Philippine press, noted that the government “is serious in upholding press freedom by ensuring the security of media practitioners.”
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Jose Sy Egco, who is also PTFoMS Executive Director, said in the statement that the Duterte administration acknowledges its mandate to address threats against the media.
“We honor the media as among the frontliners but we take cognizance of their vulnerabilities such as lack of hazard pay and other amelioration,” he added.
Presidential Communications Operations Office-Secretary and PTFoMS co-chairman Martin Andanar added that in the spirit of “bayanihan,” even media practitioners have also taken part in helping their colleagues by conducting relief operations nationwide for those who have been hit by the pandemic.
In a separate statement, Senator Francis Pangilinan stressed the importance of the press against continuing threats of online misinformation during the crisis.
“Magtiwala tayo sa kakayahan ng mga mamamahayag na magpakalat ng tama at kapaki-pakinabang na impormasyon. Sa panahong lahat ay ‘online’ at nagpapalipas ng oras sa internet, mas matindi ang paglaganap ng fake at misleading na mga balita,” he said in a statement Sunday.
[Translation: Let us believe in the capability of journalists to deliver truthful and useful information. At a time when everyone is online and is spending their time on the internet, the spread of fake and misleading news is much easier nowadays.]
US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim also said that he acknowledges the work of the media, including Filipino journalists, as free press is a “cornerstone of democracy, and critical for public health.”
Still not safe from repression
Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication said that while the Duterte administration claims to protect and uphold press freedom, the “sorry state of Philippine journalism” is still present.
“There are clear threats against journalists and media workers. The police and military engage in red-baiting, not just of activists but also journalists deemed critical of the administration,” it said.
It added that a time when the truth is needed about the crisis, “the government has found a way to prevent journalists from directly confronting official sources of information to ask the hard questions” during media briefings which have become reduced to virtual platforms.
The franchise of broadcasting giant ABS-CBN is set to expire shortly, following claims of the government that it committed grave violations of the law.
No less than President Rodrigo Duterte himself said in the past that he would object to the renewal of the TV network’s franchise for not airing his ads during the presidential campaign period in 2016.
News media organization Rappler also received similar accusations and faced legal charges against its editors and staff the past years.
Reporters Without Borders said last April that the Philippines fell two places in the World Press Freedom Index, placing 136th among 180 countries.
The report cited attacks from pro-government activists and the growing presence of “state troll armies using the weapon of disinformation on social media,” like Russia, India and Vietnam.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed May 3 as World Press Freedom Day to promote and foster an “independent, pluralistic, and free press essential to the development and maintenance of democracy in a nation” consistent with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In a video message last May 1, UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierres noted that the press provides the “antidote” of verified information as the COVID-19 pandemic has also given rise to “a second pandemic of misinformation, from harmful health advice to wild conspiracy theories.”
“We call on governments to protect media workers, and to strengthen and maintain press freedom, which is essential for a future of peace, justice and human rights for all,” he said.
SOURCE: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/5/3/journalism-World-Press-Freedom.html
