The CMFR said it was to recognize the alternative news agency’s commitment to “keeping true to the honored tradition of the alternative press, of giving the marginalized and disempowered a voice that can be heard.”
Veteran broadcaster and block-time host Flo Hervias was attacked by four men as he was leaving his radio station’s building in Lapaz District, Iloilo City this morning, Oct. 7.
“That the incident took place in Metro Manila indicates how brazen the perpetrators were, and how authorities have failed to protect journalists as well as ordinary citizens from harm.”
“To the Court, any limitation or restriction in the exercise of one’s right, no matter the extent, is a form of deprivation and clearly a violation of such right.”
President Rodrigo Duterte opened his six-year presidency with a threat – that journalists are not exempted from assassination “if you’re a son of bitch” – about a month before he was inaugurated into power. This cemented his hostility towards the media. And it did not end here.
“As a state-run news agency, PNA should observe the ethical standards of journalism, as government resources should be utilized for the public good.”
“We reiterate our call for public officials to be more circumspect in their declarations and stop blaming the media whenever they receive flak for their irresponsible statements,” Northern Dispatch said in a statement.
Filipino journalists commemorated World Press Freedom Day with a warning against the increasing attacks against the Philippine independent media and concerns on the upcoming elections.
A month before the elections, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) relaunched its Media Safety Office on April 13 as attacks against the Philippine press persist.
“The state would not want the people to have their own voices, much less talk about issues such as human rights, right to self-determination, to development, to land.”
Sweden-based Qurium Media Foundation released their internal forensic investigation on the three-month long distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) against Philippine media, tracing it to a group of Filipino hackers that were earlier hailed by the government’s counterinsurgency arm as “a group of computer geniuses.”