By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Press freedom is said to be a fundamental human right and one of the foundations of democratic societies. In 2006, then UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor lamented, “The number of journalists killed in the line of duty has become a barometer for measuring press freedom.” However,…
“We don’t think the killings will stop unless the Aquino government takes necessary steps to punish the killers and masterminds.” — Luis Teodoro, CMFR
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – When Ferdinand Marcos stifled press freedom, there were those who stood up for the truth. The alternative press, defined by Luis Teodoro, deputy executive director of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), as media outfits not tied to commercial and political interests, fought the Marcos dictatorship.…
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Press freedom advocates said the new law could also be used to justify the shutdown of websites that are critical to the government without the necessity of a court warrant and in keeping with the Marcosian tradition of curtailing the freedoms of expression and opinion.
Media workers of an independent audio-visual group decried the harassment by the local police during the violent demolition of an urban-poor community in San Juan, Metro Manila.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“While we respect the view that a trial by publicity can be detrimental to the accused, we fail to see how that can happen in this case. The Ampatuan case is extremely important for the public, the media and the relatives of the victims. The media and the public — particularly those who live outside Metro Manila and who can only follow the proceedings through the media — need to know exactly what is going on inside the courtroom.”
By AYI MUALLAM
On Wednesday, hundreds of Filipino journalists and activists, along with several of their colleagues from other countries, marched to Mendiola to mark the “Global Day of Action Against Impunity.” The journalists and activists demanded an end to impunity and blamed the Arroyo regime for the rash of killings of activists and journalists nationwide. 
Listen now
Ampatuan Massacre and Culture of Impunity
Today, hundreds of Filipino journalists and activists march to protest the Ampatuan massacre, in which 57 people — 31 of them journalists — were slaughtered in the worst election-related violence in the history of the Philippines. Follow today’s events through Bulatlat’s Twitter feeds and the occasional live video: Tell us what you think about the…
Reporters Without Borders today released its Press Freedom Index for 2009. In it, the Philippines ranks 122, compared to last year’s 139. This suggests that press freedom in the Philippines has improved, regardless of the many killings, attacks and intimidation being faced by Filipino journalists. But over the years, the country’s rankings in the index indicate a worsening of press freedom.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Bulatlat.com MANILA — Bayan Muna (People First) Rep. Teodoro Casiño filed on July 25 a bill that would recognize the observance of the said date as the National Campus Press Freedom Day. Aside from marking July 25 as a special day for the campus press, House Bill No. 6611, or…