A columnist’s chilling analysis about ‘end of democracy’

“Democracy passes into despotism.”

—Plato

By Alex P. Vidal

ONE of the most emphatic and forceful opinions about the 

ABS-CBN debacle and the ongoing debate whether it was proper to deny the network’s application for renewal of franchise, was expressed recently by Ilonggo columnist Archil B. Fernandez.

In his column published in The Daily Guardian entitled, “End of democracy” published on July 18, 2020, Fernandez pointed out that ABS-CBN “was deprived of a franchise on the whim of Congress.”

“This is the worst display of arrogance of power, grave abuse of authority. The closure of ABS-CBN is a naked display of raw power,” lamented the hard-hitting Fernandez.

Unlike other opinion writers in the country who are afraid to link President Digong Duterte to the network’s franchise mess, Fernandez, my esteemed former colleague in the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) in 1987, directly slammed the mercurial president: “ABS-CBN was closed because Du30 want it silenced – his vendetta against the network.”

Fernandez, former editor of the country’s oldest campus publication, The Central Echo (founded in 1910), warned that ABS-CBN’s closure “signals the end of democracy, liberal democracy in the country.”

“Going beyond the arrogance of power, the closure of ABS-CBN is not only an assault to press freedom but signals the end of democracy, liberal democracy in the country,” Fernandez wrote.

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He stressed: “Congress closing down ABS-CBS is a major attack on press freedom. This is evident during the hearings. Representatives complained of the unfair portrayal of politicians in the network’s shows and alleged bias of its news. What they want is to control and dictate the contents of the news and programs of the station.”

“If journalists have no control over the contents of the news and write only what politicians want, there is no more freedom of the press. Politicians dictating news content is not just censorship but the transformation of news into a public relation job or worst becomes propaganda.”

“But the most serious implication of the closure of ABS-CBN is the death, the end of democracy in the country. What we have today is a managed democracy. The Philippines is only a democracy in form but not in substance. The institutions of democracy exist but these institutions do not function or do not function in a real democracy.”

He furthered fired: “The principle of check-and-balance is the cornerstone of democracy. The three branches of government – executive, legislative and judiciary- are independent of each other and check each other to prevent excesses and abuse of one branch. But the Philippines under Du30, the executive is in absolute control with Congress and the judiciary bending the knee if not cowed by the executive.”

“Under Du30’s authoritarian rule, the legislative and judiciary are only appendages of the executive. The denial of ABS-CBN’s legislative franchise is the latest evidence that the Philippines is a managed democracy. Despite a lack of evidence on the allegations against the network, its franchise was killed by Congress. ABS-CBN was closed because Du30 want it silenced – his vendetta against the network,” explained Fernandez.

According to the Ilonggo columnist, the “Philippines is no longer a democracy.” 

“Du30 reigns supreme with a pliant Congress and judiciary bowing to his whims and caprices. By closing down ABS-CBN, Du30 is telling everyone that he gets what he wants, that he has ultimate power. Denial of ABS-CBN franchise heralds the end if not the death of democracy in the country,” he concluded.

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The Long wait is over. We will finally reach the Phase 4 of the reopening of New York economy on Monday, July 20, even as White House health advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, praised our state for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying we responded “correctly” to bring its outbreak under control. 

Fauci told “PBS NewsHour” Friday evening, “We know that, when you do it properly, you bring down those cases. We have done it. We have done it in New York.

He continued: “New York got hit worse than any place in the world. And they did it correctly by doing the things that you’re talking about.”

New York was once the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States with more than 10,000 new cases a day during its peak outbreak in April. The state has dramatically reduced daily new infections to 776 as of Thursday. 

New York is one of nine U.S. states that has the virus under control, according to the tracking project Covid Act Now. Less than 1 percent of New Yorkers tested for the virus were positive July 16, down from a high of more than 40 percent.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

We don’t write scathing resignation letters

“The pen is an instrument of discovery rather than just a recording implement. If you write a letter of resignation or something with an agenda, you're simply using a pen to record what you have thought out.”

—Billy Collins

By Alex P. Vidal

I CAN’T recall a single case where a newspaper writer or editor in Iloilo, or Western Visayas for that matter, has written a scathing resignation letter to the local publisher during his departure.

Not even in the national broadsheets, as far as I can remember, at least since democracy was restored after the EDSA Revolution in 1986.

In my time as a post-EDSA community journalist, I witnessed editors and writers, including myself and other regular columnists, transfer from one regional paper to another without any prejudice to the relationship with the publishers and coworkers in the publications we’ve worked with.

There were clashes in principles and political views, but personal and professional ties have remained intact even after the separations. 

We never wrote resignation letters that would burn the bridges with our former media bosses and colleagues like New York Times opinion editor Bari Weiss, who recently published a scathing resignation letter she sent to New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger on her personal website.

Weiss noted she doesn’t understand how toxic behavior is allowed inside the newsroom and "showing up for work as a centrist at an American newspaper should not require bravery."

Weiss wrote: “It is with sadness that I write to tell you that I am resigning from The New York Times.” 

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She then explained that she joined the paper in 2017 to help offer a different perspective, as the Times’ “failure to anticipate the outcome of the 2016 election meant that it didn’t have a firm grasp of the country it covers,” and fixing that issue was critical.

“But the lessons that ought to have followed the election—lessons about the importance of understanding other Americans, the necessity of resisting tribalism, and the centrality of the free exchange of ideas to a democratic society—have not been learned,” Weiss wrote. 

“Instead, a new consensus has emerged in the press, but perhaps especially at this paper: that truth isn’t a process of collective discovery, but an orthodoxy already known to an enlightened few whose job is to inform everyone else.”

Weiss lamented that “Twitter is not on the masthead of The New York Times,” but social media acts as the ultimate editor.

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FOR many Filipinos, the broad daylight and “senseless” murder of ABS-CBN by the 70 congressmen in the House joint panels on July 10, was like a death of a family member.

The same melancholy is felt in the Filipino communities in other parts of the globe that used to wake up and go to bed monitoring the events in the Philippines and enjoying the programs in their TFC channel. 

Many mothers, wives, grandparents, and children, in particular, had considered ABS-CBN as their household companion.

They regularly watched and listened to ABS-CBN’s public affairs program, news, entertainment like soap opera and noontime shows like they were doing their regular private and household chores.

All of a sudden, that important “member” of the family was gone but its nostalgia and good memories.

All of a sudden, the TV channel where they used to tune in to locate ABS-CBN during prime time, is now displaying a rainbow.

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Until now, many ABS-CBN lovers continue to mourn like they are in an actual vigil of the dead in the funeral homes.

Most of them find it hard to accept ABS-CBN’s sudden demise, and the insults and vitriol they hear from people who add insult to their injury are further helping deepen and exacerbate their sadness and agony.

They are aware most of those who hated ABS-CBN were probably motivated only by their canine loyalty and too much admiration for President Digong Duterte, not because they believed ABS-CBN was evil.

If Mr. Duterte did not declare a war against ABS-CBN, those bashers probably would never say a single bad word against the doomed broadcasting network.  

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Caesar and ABS-CBN

“The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins.”

—Soren Kierkegaard

By Alex P. Vidal

SIXTY senators, led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, took turns in stabbing to death Julius Caesar at the Theater of Pompey on March 15, 44 B.C.

Seventy congressmen, led by Rodante Marcoleta Cassius and Michael Defensor Brutus, murdered ABS-CBN in the House Joint Committee for Legislative Franchises, Good Governance and Public Accountability on July 10, 2020.

What did the Roman senators gain and accomplish after killing Emperor Caesar?

Nothing.

Except that history was so cruel to them. 

They had to escape outside Rome after being chased by angry Romans who burned their houses and other edifices.

Cassius and Brutus both committed suicide after being crushed one after the other by the combined forces of Mark Antony (Caesar’s trusted lieutenant) and Octavian (Caesar’s 17-year-old nephew who became Emperor Augustus) in the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C.

As their primary source of news, public affairs program, and entertainment, Filipinos love ABS-CBN dearly as the Romans admired and loved Caesar as the symbol of their strength and dominance before Jesus was born.

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What did the 70 congressmen gain and accomplish when they murdered ABS-CBN, by the way?

Nothing except, perhaps, helping bloat heavily the ego of a dictator. 

Will history be also cruel to them?

Let us wait and see.

History has always been cruel to tyrants, oppressors, rapscallions, and egregious political lackeys like the 70 solons.  

It was ancient Greece that first experienced tyranny on a large scale both from the external threat posed to their small city-states by the mighty Persian empire and from the tendency of their own politics to veer between extremes of tyranny and anarchy. 

A change in government usually meant the new winners would oppress the previous winners, prosecuting them and seizing their property. 
Responsible self-government under the rule of law was fragile.

Waller R. Newell, professor of Political Science and Philosophy, Carleton University, warned that different categories of tyrannies emerged over the ages that have helped to classify and condemn tyranny and other exploitative forms of authority, and to encourage self-governing societies. 

We can still apply those categories today.

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But the 70 congressmen don’t need to escape with their tales wagging like Cassius, Brutus, and their co-conspirators in Ceasar’s murder while the Filipinos grieve for ABS-CBN’s demise. 

It will be their respective constituents who will kick their asses come election day.

What the 70 congressmen did was already equivalent to a political suicide.

Even in “death”, the Filipinos will continue to love and support ABS-CBN the way the Romans honored and immortalized their beloved Caesar.

It was fundamentally and logically wrong to eliminate a media institution that has been functioning as a major pillar of Philippine democracy over flimsy reasons.

It was pathetically erroneous and a monumental blunder on the part of the government to treat ABS-CBN like an ordinary pizza parlor or ice cream manufacturing company when its primary and paramount function is to safeguard democracy as media watchdog.    

Although we find it hard to comprehend why they would hate ABS-CBN with such mind-boggling magnitude and even “celebrated” the network’s defeat like the people of Moses who worshipped the golden calf, we can never hate back those who had sought to guillotine the country’s hitherto leading broadcasting network that employed 11,000 workers nationwide.

There is history as the final arbiter.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

  

My media colleagues fight for ABS-CBN

“When the public's right to know is threatened, and when the rights of free speech and free press are at risk, all of the other liberties we hold dear are endangered.”

—Christopher Dodd

By Alex P. Vidal

ONE of the most heart-piercing and scintillating declarations made by a media practitioner on the ABS-CBN issue was issued recently by Iloilo broadcast journalist Novie Guazo.

In his Facebook account, Guazo, one of the best broadcasters in the Philippines today,  wrote: “Please count me in! Like you and me, ABS CBN is not perfect, but the good outweighs the bad. Regardless of what electoral colors we are on, the issue is very clear. Lopez is a filipino as per DOJ. Tax obligations are clear as per BIR. Full filipino ownership is clear as per SEC. And labor obligations are clear as per DOLE. There is no reason why the 11,000 employees shall lose their jobs  all because of egos of men. Ego is a journey to nowhere.”

Another Ilonggo journalist, Peter Jimena, commented: “If the ABS-CBN has no grave misgiving to the government, why not allow it to go back to its normal business? This will help the 11,000 employees feed their family & our almost bankrupt gov't. to generate taxes. Its return to business will also drive away the stress of those under self quarantine at their homes due to the pandemic.” 

Jimenea added: “The people are already hungry, then why still deprive them of entertainment to cushion the impact of poverty and disillusion in their minds? Let ABS-CBN back on air for the millions of people that needed them compared to the few egocentric souls in the gov't. I could only hope our legislators will take this message to the heart.”

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Formerly an ABS-CBN Iloilo reporter, Erly Garcia, now connected with the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, lamented: “The Elizaldes own Manila Broadcasting Co., Cebu Broadcasting Co., Philippine Broadcasting Corp., and Pacific Broadcasting System Inc. Florete of Bombo Radyo owns Consolidated Broadcasting System, Newsounds Broadcasting Network and Peoples Broadcasting  Service. Each company mentioned above has its own franchise granted by Congress.”

Garcia asked: “Why is it that certain congressmen are making an issue about the connection of the Lopez-owned ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. to Amcara Broadcasting Network?  ABS-CBN claimed that it already divested their shares from Amcara on January 2019. But given the above examples of MBC and Bombo Radyo, it appears that there's no violation even if the Lopezes own both ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. and Amcara Broadcasting Network, Inc.”

And finally, Gemma Villanueva, one of the original ABS-CBN Iloilo reporters, appealed to all: “I humbly ask you, my family, my friends, everyone here, if you can kindly support and help us fight for our jobs.

Trabahong malinis at marangal. Naniniwala ako na hindi po kami nakakasama sa nakararami. Hindi perpekto, pero isang responsableng kumpanya po ang aming pinagtratrabahuhan. May respeto sa tao, sa mga empleyado. Laging naghahangad na makatulong sa iba. Hindi po pakitang tao. Totoo. Tanungin ninyo ang mga kakilala ninyong malapit na nagtratrabaho sa ABS-CBN para malaman ninyo ang totoo.”

She added: “We deserve the renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise. If you can find it in your heart to pray for us and help us voice out the need to bring back ABS-CBN, please do so. I will appreciate it. To some, or most of you, this may not be important. But THIS IS IMPORTANT TO ME AND ALL OTHERS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. This is one time that I will ask you to post on FB or write to your congressmen...YES TO ABS-CBN FRANCHISE RENEWAL.”

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Our esteemed colleague, Inday Espina-Varona, a well-known journalist in the country who hails from Bacolod City, bewailed: “Today’s (July 6) congressional hearings on ABS-CBN made the Mad Tea Party posse look like solid, upstanding folk. Boying Remulla complaining of bullying was fascinating. Does the man ever look into the mirror? And he just kept skidding down that slippery slope.

“By nightfall, he was complaining of THIS: ‘Doon na lang sa creative department nila, paano nila pini-picture ang mga public servant, mga naglilingkod sa bayan, di ba laging masama?... Wala silang ginawa kundi banatan na lang tayo.’

“Sweet lord, he now wants to be a director or producer. Well, hasn’t Boying Remulla read bestseller books, classic novels? Someone please  give him a list of film honors through the years. (Not to say the teleseryes are classics, but...) Mr Remulla—dang, a few years down the road this hearing will be inspiration for many a film or tv series on the ugly side of power.

“Then there’s the inconvenient tidbit that pulled the rug from under Barzaga: turns out, some of Mar Roxas’ 2016 ads also failed to air. 

Likewise, Garin threw the “dilawan” chanting into disarray, by intimating the network’s Dengvaxia coverage was aimed at putting the previous admin in a bad light. (Agree that some commentaries and stories may have been ewww—but ditto with most other news outfits.) Also, that isn’t a franchise issue. There are laws that allow redress for  offending reportage.

“Then Lito Atienza sent a zinger: The DOJ has already recommended your indictment... Prepare yourself for your legal defense and not in this congressional hearing. Your cause and you case has nothing to do with #ABSCBNfranchise application.

“These honorables also want to be editors. Except their concept of news is journalists accepting whatever the powers say as the true, the good and the beautiful. 

“At some points, it reminded me of the attempt to pass legislation on the Right to Reply, which basically was just a ploy to manage the news —demanding that journalists ignore the elements of news, or context, or nuance, or fact-checking by running their statements and releases en toto. 

“Think of Mike Defensor wanting to spin his statements out of existence despite the public record

“Bias: The Comelec said no political party and candidate have complained against ABS-CBN for being bias, for being partial, for violation of Omnibus Election Code.

“The NTC, which closed down ABS-CBN, has acknowledged there is no pending case filed by any person against ABS-CBN for violating the franchise given by Congress nor its Certificate of Public Convenience.

Behind the populist rhetoric, Duterte’s legislative henchmen and their apologists clearly see contrarian views and critical news coverage as a danger to power. 

“More than that, despite the chest-beating for the masa, they obviously have contempt for Filipinos’ ability to think for themselves. 

Those who blow hot air about brainwashing clearly wish to have a monopoly on “democratic spaces”—in short, tyranny.

“We earlier had Duterte’s security officials whining that public outrage over the closure of ABS-CBN was all a communist conspiracy. 

Now we have legislators equating organic criticism as yet another conspiracy. 

“Few are buying that. The array of groups, from various political persuasions and sectors, speaking out and criticising them, is not about ABS-CBN’s imaginary power to control. It’s all about people having enough of overreach and abuse of power.

“Browbeating and raging at people invited to legislative hearings do not diminish them. It diminishes legislators and their oaths of office. That’s also what Malacanang has failed to learn. May hangganan ang pananakot ninyo.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Stop crying! ABS-CBN isn’t dead

“A free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad.”

—Albert Camus

By Alex P. Vidal

I COME neither to bury Caesar nor to praise him. 

In the first place, Caesar, in my humble opinion, isn’t dead yet.

Before we mount a manhunt against the modern Cassius, Brutus, and their murderous subalterns in the senate, and before Mark Antony and Cleopatra form a triumvirate with Octavian, I implore thee to hold your horses and stop crying.

As a long-time media practitioner, I commiserate with the ABS-CBN when it was compelled to sign off starting May 5 midnight in the Philippines in compliance with the “cease and desist” order from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Like many of my colleagues in the mass media today, I also denounce the gung ho approach in dealing a mortal blow against a critical media outfit in an apparent retaliatory act from an onion-skinned and vindictive president, Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Through his minion and “attack dog”, Jose Calida, whose scandal-ridden stint in the Office of the Solicitor General has practically weighed down whatever gain this administration has scored in the Supreme Court, President Duterte got what he wished: bring down the TV station on its knees.  

But, wait a minute. 

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My revulsion centers most particularly on the issue of press freedom, the cornerstone of democracy and something I hold dear for more than 30 years as a community journalist.  

A closure of any media outlet—small or big newspaper, TV and radio stations, and all the alphabet communication soups—will always leave a bad taste in the mouth for any government locked in a tight disagreement with the mass media and the nature of their work.

I will not cry—literally and figuratively, at least not yet.

By “signing off” didn’t mean the behemoth media station has been cremated or buried in the Bronx’s Hart Island like the #COVID-19 dead.

Signing off is like a temporary hiatus, or merely “putting to rest” the tired and weary faculties; it’s one way of saying “I’ll  take two steps backward today, and take three steps forward tomorrow.”

Like Lazarus, ABS-CBN will certainly bounce back to life; not now, at least, but that’s for SURE. 

Its physical assets won’t be sold in a public auction or crushed by a bulldozer and an excavator like imported cars in the Bureau of Customs.

Mr. Duterte and ass-licker Calida aren’t married to their present positions. They can’t outlive the people’s strong desire to gain access to news and entertainment, and to be aware and updated of what’s going on around them.

In a democratic state, media institutions will always survive any tremor, tsunami, pandemic, war, and man’s hateful fulmination.

Media institutions fight and live; dictators oppress and/but are ousted. Newspapers, broadcast and TV networks stay; despotic rulers perish and are remembered in history in the most irremissible and lurid description.    

“Those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”

No enemy of press freedom or dictator in history has won a permanent battle against the Fourth Estate.

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No strongman and woman in history has outmuscled the power of ideas.

Some smart alecks have tried but failed to put away the media: Elpidio Quirino (Golden Arinola Scandal), Spiro Agnew (Vietnam War), Ferdinand Marcos (Martial Law), Benito Mussolini (“Fascism and Militant Journalism”), Richard Nixon (Watergate), Woodrow Wilson (“Wilson, That’s All”), Theodore Roosevelt (The Jungle), Bill Clinton (Monica Lewinsky cover-up), Cory Aquino (Soliven-Beltran Libel Case), Erap Estrada (Philippine Daily Inquirer advertisement boycott), Ramon Cua Locsin (Sun.Star Iloilo Libel Cases), Melvin “Dragon” Odicta (Aksyon Radyo Iloilo Raid), to cite only a few controversies vis-à-vis the press.

Thomas Jefferson: “I prefer to have a newspaper without a government than to have a government without a newspaper.”

Napoleon Bonaparte: “Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.”

Alexis de Tocqueville: “Grant me thirty years of equal division of inheritances and a free press, and I will provide you with a republic.”

It has been said that press freedom is the first casualty when a leader who wants to become a dictator runs berserk.

Christopher Dodd had warned that “When the public's right to know is threatened, and when the rights of free speech and free press are at risk, all of the other liberties we hold dear are endangered.”

But we aren’t giving up.

By the way, wake me up, when ABS-CBN is back on air—soon!

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

  

  

Quality of senators in ABS-CBN hearing

“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” 

– Benjamin Franklin

By Alex P. Vidal

I’m ashamed of the quality of senators participating in the Senate hearing on ABS-CBN compliance with franchise terms and conditions.

They lacked reliability and profundity and couldn’t accurately hit the nail right.

It’s so frustrating and irritating to think how these morons were able to become senators. 

They are clearly nincompoops and their views are obviously subservient only to the interest of the president.

We missed the likes of the late senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, and Raul Roco, among other brilliant legislators we can always be proud of.

The ABS-CBN Senate hearing is a very important subject matter where there is a gathering of the best and sharpest minds from all the stakeholders to tackle a myriad of technical, legal, economic issues on top of the debate whether there is a need to extend the giant media firm’s franchise, which will expire on March 30, for another 25 years.

These issues should have been best addressed and tackled intelligently if we have quality senators who don’t read and recite their prepared speeches which actually have no substance and accuracy.

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As a media practitioner, I am basically against any form of censorship or attempt to stifle the freedom of the press and expression.

“Stopping” the operation of any media entity—newspaper and magazine, radio station, TV —in whatever form is a clear act of assault against the rights of free press and expression.

Especially if the act of attrition comes from the government.

It becomes uglier, strikes a big blow, and sends a chilling effect in the heart and soul of democracy.

We have the Constitution that prevents congress to make any laws that limit the freedom of the press. 

The charter’s primary goal for the press is to prevent the government from censoring it. 

Under these circumstances, censorship often means preventing the press from publishing information in the first place, though this can also mean punishing news organizations after they have published or broadcast (or even failed to broadcast a political advertisement) a story. 

Censorship of the press before a story is published in print, broadcast on television, radio or the internet is called “prior restraint,” and the Supreme Court has ruled that it was unconstitutional.

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Let's not forget these two substances: Resveratrol and rapamycin. Scientists have recently discovered that these two compounds are anti-aging drugs. Resveratrol is found in grapes, red wine and peanuts.

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According to LabReport, many of the babies born in 2000 might live until 150! Danish scientist Kaare Christensen and his colleagues have circulated a projection that assumes longevity improvements will continue at their current pace. 

In that model, more than half the children in the developed world will be around for their 100th birthday.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

ABS-CBN and global assault vs critical press

“When the public's right to know is threatened, and when the rights of free speech and free press are at risk, all of the other liberties we hold dear are endangered.”

—Christopher Dodd

By Alex P. Vidal

RAPPLER and ABS-CBN aren’t alone.

Apparently there is a downward spiral of freedom and the media not only in the Philippines but also around the world.

The quo warranto petition Solicitor General Jose Calida had filed in the Supreme Court against the ABS-CBN and its sister company, ABS-CBN Convergence, was probably one of the many attempts by authoritarian rulers around the world today to snuff out critical journalism.

Sarah Repucci, Freedom House senior director for research and analysis, has sounded an alarm that “the fundamental right to seek and disseminate information through an independent press is under attack, and part of the assault has come from an unexpected source.”

It’s been reported that elected leaders in many democracies, who should be press freedom’s staunchest defenders, have made explicit attempts to silence critical media voices and strengthen outlets that serve up favorable coverage. 

The trend is supposedly linked to a global decline in democracy itself: The erosion of press freedom is both a symptom of and a contributor to the breakdown of other democratic institutions and principles, a fact that makes it especially alarming.

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In some of the most influential democracies in the world, Repucci noticed that large segments of the population are no longer receiving unbiased news and information. 

“This is not because journalists are being thrown in jail, as might occur in authoritarian settings. Instead, the media have fallen prey to more nuanced efforts to throttle their independence,” she explained. “Common methods include government-backed ownership changes, regulatory and financial pressure, and public denunciations of honest journalists. Governments have also offered proactive support to friendly outlets through measures such as lucrative state contracts, favorable regulatory decisions, and preferential access to state information.” 

The goal is reportedly to make the press serve those in power rather than the public.

-o0o-

The breakdown of global press freedom is closely related to the broader decline of democracy that Freedom House has tracked for the past 13 years, Repucci stressed.  

She said although the press is not always the first institution to be attacked when a country’s leadership takes an antidemocratic turn, repression of free media is a strong indication that other political rights and civil liberties are in danger. 

“Assaults on media independence are frequently associated with power grabs by new or incumbent leaders, or with entrenched regimes’ attempts to crush perceived threats to their control.”

The following recommendations by Repucci for policymakers in democratic nations is expected to help ensure the sustainability of independent media worldwide:

—Ensure that their actions do not excuse or inspire violations of press freedom. Democratic nations have a particularly important role to play in maintaining media freedom. Words matter, and when US officials verbally attack the press or fail to swiftly and vigorously condemn acts of repression such as Khashoggi’s murder, it sends a signal to undemocratic leaders around the world that assaults on the press and crimes against journalists are permissible.

—Take strong and immediate action against any violations of media freedom globally through press statements, phone calls, meetings, letters, and the imposition of targeted sanctions on perpetrators. This includes speaking out against violence against journalists and authorities’ failure to identify and prosecute attackers, restrictions on media access, blocking of websites, and censorship on particular topics.

—Stand up publicly for the value of a free press, and support civic education that will inform the next generation. Press freedom is one of the most fundamental pillars of American democracy, and constitutional protections in the United States are stronger than in any other country in the world. Citizens could easily forget this amid media mudslinging and incendiary commentary. Political leaders and teachers should reiterate the extent to which we all benefit from professional journalists who hold those in power to account.

—Ensure that foreign policy and assistance prioritizes support for democratic principles, including media freedom, as the foundation of national security and economic prosperity. The goal of foreign assistance is to bring recipient countries to the point that they no longer need it. In that sense, it is shortsighted for donor governments to invest funding overseas without shoring up press freedom. National security and economic prosperity are strongest in nations where democratic rights are protected, and a free press is a key watchdog of democracy. Foreign aid specifically focused on bolstering independent media by providing technical training and emergency assistance is especially needed given the threats journalists currently face. Countries that have experienced recent expansions in press freedom, such as Angola, Ethiopia, Malaysia, and Ecuador, are particularly vulnerable to backsliding and require special focus.

—Support social media as an alternative outlet for free expression in repressive environments. Innovative alternatives to state-controlled media regularly spring up on social media, including recently in Venezuela, Armenia, and Sudan. Related technology can be used to circumvent censorship and keep reporters anonymous where needed. Donor agencies should provide funding for technology that increases journalistic freedom.

 (The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Media’s fault again?

“Don't find fault, find a remedy.”
-- Henry Ford

By Alex P. Vidal

NEWARK, New Jersey -- The Municipality of Malay, Aklan in the Philippines could be barking at the wrong tree when it blamed the media for depicting a “very dirty” Boracay.
In fact, the “bark” was unnecessary and misplaced, to say the least.
In an official statement released through its website recently, the Malay local government unit (LGU) lamented: “We do accept the constructive criticisms of our President and use it as the fundamental aspect of our improvements.”
“However,” it stressed, “the online news scoops of GMA and ABS-CBN attached a photo of the seasonal algal bloom in Boracay Island in order to increase the magnitude of their articles and hook people into it -- thinking that the waters of Boracay Island are entirely full of algae.”
It added: “This is not the case. We condemn the recycling of photos for the selling of their ‘news’. These news institutions gain profit from their news that ultimately degrades the image of Boracay Island which is highly dependent on the Tourism Industry.”

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I don’t think the two giant TV networks mentioned in the official statement had an intention to degrade the image of Boracay when they supposedly used “recycled” photos in their respective websites showing the beach waters full of algae.
But I believe the photos used in the websites were really taken from Boracay and not in other beaches.
In other words, the photos were real, not fake.
If not the latest, the photos were most likely from the websites' news files.
It is not a question, however, whether the photos were current or, to borrow the word of the Malay LGU statement, “recycled.”
Using old photos or file photos isn’t prohibited in newspapers, magazine, and, in this particular case, news websites.
The cutlines of the photos stated that “President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to shut down popular tourist destination Boracay, describing it as a ‘cesspool,’ if the island’s environmental issues will not be addressed. (GMANETWORK.COM)” and “Duterte warned the situation was a looming environmental ‘disaster’ and a ‘tragedy’ that could soon drive visitors away from the island. (NEWS ABS-CBN.COM).”
Captions and cutlines are terms that are often used interchangeably.
There was no mention of the two photos’ specific date, and they were copyrighted.
The cutlines were explicitly telling the readers about President Duterte’s “threat” and “warning,” not the photos' "wild arts."
The cutlines, or the words under the captions, weren’t trite writing-type or the description where the obvious is being pointed out by using such phrases as “looks on,” “is shown” and “pictured above.”
The cutlines did not use descriptive terms that characterize the two photos.
Interestingly, the Malay LGU did not react in the same intensity when President Duterte called Boracay as a “cesspool” which was considered by many observers to be more alarming and damaging.
Was it more a case of over acting?