Tag Archives: Freedom of the Press

[Statement] Press Freedom is Everyone’s Right #StandWithRappler -HRonlinePH.com

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Press Freedom is Everyone’s Right #StandWithRappler

The Human Rights Online Philippines (HRonlinePH) expresses alarming concern over the Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision to cancel the certificate of incorporation of Rappler, an online news site for allegedly violating the ownership restrictions.

Media regulation is one thing. Political vengeance is another. The way the Duterte government works, the motive is quite obvious. It is gagging the media and eliminating dissenters.

We should take advantage that we are still under a democratic form of government while the charter change is underway. Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are fundamental rights that are fully guaranteed in our Constitution. Both are essentials to ensure transparency and accountability in our government.

The Freedom of Expression Conference Declaration https://hronlineph.com/freexp-con/freedom-of-expression-conference-declaration/ emphasized that the government has the obligation to foster an enabling environment for freedom of expression by taking measures to promote media and digital literacy, including but not limited to, engaging with civil society organizations and other stakeholders to address the negative effects of disinformation and propaganda.

But the government is sending us with a clear message. It does not tolerate dissent. It does not allow critical voices. All of us including all netizens are now vulnerable to attack from trolls to government sanctions.

Let us make use of what we have to protect these rights. The Internet provides with means to stand and fight back. We should continuously promote human rights. We should cover our websites with news and updates on human rights issues. We should share photos and videos of actual footages that show the reality of human rights on the ground. We should create a viral trend in Twitter and Facebook. We should swamp the chat rooms to engage others in online public discourse. We should occupy every nook and corner of cyberspace whenever human rights are concerned.

Our rights including our right to freedom of expression and the press are never handed over to us in a silver platter. It is almost always the fruit of our resistance, of our struggle for truth and justice, and for freedom and democracy.

Let us DEFEND PRESS FREEDOM! Let us DEFEND RAPPLER!

#WagMatakotMagpahayag para sa #HumanRights

Human Rights Online Philippines
January 16, 2018

[Statement] SEC’s revocation of Rappler’s license to operate, a move to silence critical voices, reminiscent of Martial Law -TFDP

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SEC’s revocation of Rappler’s license to operate, a move to silence critical voices, reminiscent of Martial Law

Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) condemns the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) decision to revoke Rappler’s license to operate. It is an obvious and blatant move to silence those perceived to be critical of the government. It is an attack on freedom of the press and a gross violation of the right to free expression.

It is so obvious that Rappler was targeted because it has earned the ire of President Rodrigo Duterte and his rabid supporters like Mocha Uson due to its continuous publication of articles critical of Duterte’s programs such as the violent ‘war on drugs’, extra judicial killings and many more.

It is reminiscent of martial law, when even without its formal declaration by President Rodrigo Duterte, he is using and abusing laws to assault independent journalism, staunch critics and members of the opposition as well as undermine democratic institutions.

It is reminiscent of martial law, when those who expose truth and express disagreement with the dictator and his cohorts will suffer the consequences of being violated, persecuted and tagged as enemies of the state.

It is reminiscent of martial law, when the government uses different forms of violence to silence critical voices like censorship, shutting down of media offices and even killings and enforced disappearance. It uses fake news and alternative facts to distort the truth and deodorize its anti-human rights and anti-democratic policies.

Freedom of the press, speech and expressions are enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the Philippine Constitution and in international human rights law so that it will be protected against interference of abusive governments.

Once again we are called to defend our cherished fundamental freedoms and God-given rights. No single entity can hold the line. We, individuals, groups, organizations and institutions, must join the frontlines. Defend human rights we must. Resist repression and tyranny we will!

MR. EMMANUEL AMISTAD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
TASK FORCE DETAINEES OF THE PHILIPPINES
16 January 2018

For more information pls contact:
Emmanuel Amistad, Executive Director: Mobile: 09985481925; tfdp.1974@gmail.com
Egay Cabalitan, Advocacy Staff: Mobile: 09164554321; egay.advocacytfdp2@gmail.com
TFDP:9950246;

Website: tfdp.net
Facebook: @TaskForceDetainees
Twitter: @TFDPupdates

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Include your full name, e-mail address and contact number.

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[Statement] SEC “kill” order is an intensified attack on press freedom in the Philippines -iDEFEND

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SEC “kill” order is an intensified attack on press freedom in the Philippines

On Monday, the Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered the closure of online news organization RAPPLER, for alleged violation of constitutional limits on foreign ownership of mass media. It is the first official attack on the country’s press freedom by the government, following threats against other media organizations such as ABS CBN by President Duterte, and forcing a change in ownership of the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 2017. Increasingly, this government has proven that it does not welcome any contrary viewpoints much less tolerate their proliferation.

Rappler is one of the first few news groups that started reporting on extrajudicial killings at the beginning of the government’s war on drugs in 2016 and has earned the ire of the President for its consistent coverage of police corruption, the war on the poor, martial law in Mindanao and the internet being ‘weaponized’ to support a culture of violence.

Rappler is considered by human rights groups as a frontline news organization that focuses on stories that matter, at the same time a leader among Philippine media in combating fake news and fake information, which has been used to cripple most voices critical of Duterte’s policies. It has long been a target of Duterte’s highly organized scheme of harassment and intimidation. Rappler is only the latest victim in the government’s war against the truth.

The SEC ‘kill order’ on RAPPLER is another brick in Duterte’s steady rise to authoritarian rule- a chilling message that press freedom, one of the country’s strongest democracy pillars, can be brought down. With a weakened Supreme Court, a lapdog Congress, and Cabinet officials as henchmen of the ‘wanna-be dictator’, press freedom is in a critical state.

In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement believes that right now, a free press is almost all that stands between a fighting chance for human rights advocacy and a graveyard silence of totalitarianism. However it is also the people’s voices that stand between Duterte’s ambitions and the defense of our democracy. So much of our values and liberties-painstakingly rebuilt after the Marcos dictatorship, albeit imperfect, have been destroyed in less than two years of Duterte’s rule; this is the challenge we, as a free nation need to overcome, thus we cannot waiver.

iDEFEND condemns this latest plot to eliminate press freedom by shutting RAPPLER down. iDEFEND supports RAPPLER’s legal challenge against the SEC order, and calls on all to protect our free press. #StandwithRappler

Follow iDEFEND @
Website: iDEFEND.ph
Facebook: @iDEFENDofficial
Twitter: @idefendHR

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Include your full name, e-mail address and contact number.

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[Statement] #BlockMarcos calls to #DefendPressFreedom

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#BlockMarcos calls to #DefendPressFreedom

#BlockMarcos stands with Rappler and condemns the SEC’s decision to revoke its license to operate. This is clearly an assault on the freedom of the press, as well as a shrewd attempt by the Duterte regime to silence its staunchest critics. The last time a media company was shut down, the Philippines was under the clutches of Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship—a tumultuous time in history that we do not wish to relive.

The revocation of Rappler’s license has more to do with its critical editorial stance towards the President than its alleged violation of laws on nationality restrictions on ownership and control of mass media entities. Rappler is a threat to any aspiring dictator because it refuses to act like a public relations arm of the Duterte regime. Instead, it fulfills its role as a media organization, which is to speak truth to power.

President Duterte’s repeated and unabashed threats against Rappler—and against his most strident detractors in the media—have finally crystallized into this political attack. It is an attack not only against Rappler, but against responsible journalism and ultimately, against a free press.

A country that allows media organizations to be shut down by the state, is a country that welcomes dictatorship and all the abuses that come under a government with absolute power. #BlockMarcos calls to #DefendPressFreedom. We stand with Rappler and condemn the belligerent destruction of critical and investigative journalism in the country.

#BLOCKMARCOS
15 January 2018

Follow #BlockMarcos @
Facebook: @BlockMarcosNow

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Include your full name, e-mail address and contact number.

All submissions are republished and redistributed in the same way that it was originally published online and sent to us. We may edit submission in a way that does not alter or change the original material.

Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos etc.

[Featured Video] Speak up against impunity -NUJP

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SPEAK UP AGAINST IMPUNITY
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines

nujp-logoJanuary 23 marks the 39th month since the Ampatuan Massacre. Since 1986, 154 journalists, including 32 of the 58 victims in the brutal murder, have been killed in the line of duty.

The insatiable lust for power by some, a wanton disregard for rights, and the weakness of institutions that are supposed to protect us from injustice have allowed Ampatuan Massacre and other murders to happen. That is how impunity works.

From today until the 23rd and even beyond, feel free to post and share this video. Say a thing or two against impunity.

Stand up for press freedom. Stand against impunity. (Public service ad created by BBDO)

Watch video @ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151244100324141

Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos etc.

[In the news] Unlikely hero: Alex Adonis and the fight to decriminalize libel -InterAksyon.com

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Unlikely hero: Alex Adonis and the fight to decriminalize libel
by Dino Testa, InterAksyon.com
February 28, 2012

MANILA, Philippines — For years, media organizations in the country have been campaigning for the decriminalization of libel, saying the existing law, which dates back to the American colonial period and was used to curtail dissent, continues to be used with impunity by those in power more to muzzle press freedom than to seek redress against journalistic abuse.

Recently, what could be their biggest breakthrough came when the United Nations Human Rights Committee deemed the country’s criminal libel law “incompatible” with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil Political Rights, which protects the right to free expression and opinion.

The Philippines has ratified the Covenant. Thus, while the UNHRC resolution may not be legally binding, it is expected to put pressure on the government to push for the decriminalization of libel.

For this development, Filipino journalists owe a debt to one colleague who, ironically, was forced to give up more than two years of his life.

Read full article @ www.interaksyon.com

[From the web] When journalists are subpoenaed – RAPPLER.com

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When journalists are subpoenaed – RAPPLER – Philippine News | Multimedia | Citizen Journalism | Social Media.
by Chay F. HOFILEÑA, RAPPLER.com
January 31, 2012

Are journalists who are subpoenaed by courts obliged to comply with them? What legitimate reasons are there for not honoring these court orders?

Subpoenas are orders issued by courts to compel persons to appear before them and provide testimony or documents that can aid in the investigation or the resolution of a particular case. Because they are court orders, failure to comply with them may carry penalties, including imprisonment.

Journalists who are subpoenaed, however, often question the reasons behind such an order. If they are called to provide testimony that will reveal their sources or what they know about a particular case or person, chances are, they will refuse on the basis of freedom of the press.

Why so? Because the confidentiality that a journalist promises his or her source is no different from the confidentiality that a priest promises during confession. Also, because a journalist relies on this bedrock relationship of trust with sources – without it, the flow of information will be more restricted and the news-gathering rights of the media will be adversely curtailed.

Compliance with a subpoena could set precedents and influence jurisprudence and even policies, too, that could result in more restrictive press laws.

Read full article @ www.rappler.com

[In the news] Why the media should connect the dots – RAPPLER.com

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Why the media should connect the dots – RAPPLER – Philippine News | Multimedia | Citizen Journalism | Social Media.

by Chay F. HOFILEÑA, RAPPLER.com
January 25, 2012

  What role should the media play in this historic impeachment trial of a chief justice?

Should it be a provocateur and spark debate and discussion, which hopefully, should be informed? Should it interpret and analyze events for the public to better understand the issues and their implications? Should it remain neutral and detached?

These questions call to mind the theories of the press, two of which are perhaps the most relevant to these questions. One is the libertarian theory and the other is the social responsibility theory.

Without having to sound esoteric, the libertarian theory essentially takes the position that every person is capable of deciding for himself what is true and what is false. Because this assumes access to information and an ability to process that information, the audience or the public are regarded as experts in their own right, completely capable of divining the truth in events.

On the other hand, the social responsibility theory goes beyond “objective” reporting and crosses over to what is referred to as “interpretive” reporting. The press assumes the role of an interpreter of facts and goes beyond a mere recitation or reporting of basic information – the who, what, where, when, why and how of an event. It does this because complexities compel journalists, whose objective is to enlighten a befuddled public, to do so.

As such, journalists make an effort to “report the truth about the fact” as the American Commission on the Freedom of the Press put it way back in the 1940s. This means explaining, analyzing, and making sense of events. It also means connecting the dots.

Read full article @ www.rappler.com

[From the web] Excess of freedom, impunity; Deficit of ethics, self-criticism « Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

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Excess of freedom, impunity; Deficit of ethics, self-criticism « Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

by Malou Mangahas
December 12th, 2011, http://www.pcij.org

  THE PHILIPPINE media community, one of the freest and most rambunctious in all of Asia, is an incredible, hopefully not incorrigible, story of dissonant currents and practices.

For instance, while press freedom has broad and firm guarantees in law and jurisprudence in this country, the Philippines remains one of the deadliest places in the world for journalists, even as the executive and legislative branches have been slow to move on strategic reforms, including the Freedom of Information Act.

Reporters and editors also zealously guard and assert their freedom and resist all attempts by state authorities to restrict their trade, and yet self-regulation by professional and industry associations has always lacked vigor and constancy. Indeed, self-criticism of media by media remains scant and thus ineffectual, even as competition for sales, revenues, and audience share drives most editorial decisions of most gatekeepers.

Moreover, as much as journalists assert their independence from state authorities, and insist on the strict observance of the laws by political leaders, media managers have tended to ignore and neglect concerns of media rank and file about economic benefits, safety provisions for those assigned dangerous areas, and security of tenure for correspondents and stringers in the provinces.

Read full article @ pcij.org

Related articles

[In the news] PH remains 3rd most murderous country for press | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features

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PH remains 3rd most murderous country for press | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features.

by Ira Pedrasa, abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines remained 3rd in the list of most dangerous countries for journalists, with the still unresolved Maguindanao massacre dampening efforts to move out of the impunity index.

In its 2011 Impunity Index report, the United States-based Committee to Protect Journalists said “the government’s case against dozens of defendants in the 2009 massacre in Maguindanao province, in which 32 journalists and media workers were killed, reflects an overall pattern in which Philippine authorities often identify suspects but rarely win convictions.”

The country came next after Iraq and Somalia.

Its rank was unmoved from the 2010 report. The CPJ recorded 69 journalists murdered since 1992.

CPJ, founded by US foreign correspondents, noted it met with Justice officials in 2010 with the latter promising to reverse the country’s record. Nonetheless, the officials noted the task was a difficult one.

“Initial trial proceedings in the Maguindanao killings have been plagued by threats and bribes targeting witnesses, and incompetence and corruption among local investigators. The slow-moving prosecution has yielded no convictions thus far,” the CPJ said.

Sixty-one percent of the journalists murdered covered the politics beat, while 42% covered corruption.

The CPJ noted: “In countries with weak law enforcement, political reporting is the most dangerous beat. Among the unsolved cases on this index, nearly 30 percent of victims had covered politics.”

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