PH top 3 in media killings

By Ronald Reyes 

ANOTHER media watchdog echoed the finding of other global press groups and said the Philippines ranked third among the most dangerous places for journalists, next only to Syria and Iraq.

In its annual report “Killing The Messenger,” the International News Safety Institute said 14 journalists were killed in the Philippines, next to Syria with 20 journalists killed and Iraq with 16.

Of the 14 journalists who were killed in the Philippines, four were officially listed as having died while they were working at a radio station in Tacloban City when super typhoon “Yolanda” hit the area on November 8.

The journalists killed by Yolanda were Ronald Vi?as and and Allan Medino of radio station dyVL and Archi Globio and Malou Realino of radio station dyBR. The four were killed while they were working as Yolanda hit the country.

But according to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, 10 other media workers, who were on duty when the typhoon struck remained missing as of Wednesday but no death certificates have been issued for them.

The 10 are Violy Custodio, Boy Mendigo, Jenevive Catubao, Joyce Catubao of dyVL; Baby Jaca, June Estoya, Lulu Palencia of dyBR, Gerry Lumantas of dyXY, Christina Gabrillo of dyAC and Ariel Aguillon of Bombo Radyo.

The CMFR also reported 44 other media workers who were injured during typhoon or whose homes were destroyed.

In the INSI’s “Killing The Messenger” report, the group noted that 69 of the 134 deaths of journalists and media staff occurred in peace time while the rest occurred during armed conflicts in different parts of the world.

The INSI said their report, carried out by the Cardiff School for Journalism in the United Kingdom, was an analysis of the situations of the 134 deceased journalists and staff in 29 countries.

Aside from the finding that more journalists were killed in peacetime than during armed conflict, the study also showed that 92 percent of those killed were local journalists and more print journalists were slain than any other medium.

The toll is down by almost 12 per cent compared to the 152 who died in 2012, although INSI is worried by what appears to be a rise in the numbers of assaults, threats and kidnappings of journalists - which go unreported for the most part.

Last week, the international media group Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders) said the Philippine media remain in a “difficult situation” and the environment of freedom has even worsened.

According to the RSF’s “2014 World Press Freedom Index,” the Philippines went down two notches to the 149th spot among the 180 countries included in the index, even worse than newcomer Belize which was on 29th spot.

In 2010, the year following the Maguindanao massacre that left 58 people dead, including 32 journalists, the country was at the 156th place.

When President Benigno Aquino III took office, the country managed only to climb to 140th spot in 2011 before sliding down again to the 147th place last year.

Even the troubled countries of Mali (now ranked 122nd) and the Central African Republic (now 109th) , which dropped more than 120 spots, were better off than the Philippines, the index showed.

Throughout 2013, RSF had repeatedly raised concerns about the killings and attempted killings of journalists and objected to the Aquino administration’s anti-cybercrime law because its online defamation provision “poses too much of a threat to freedom of information.”

A study conducted by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism showed that 23 journalists have been killed during the first 40 months of Aquino’s term.

If the Ampatuan 32 were to be excluded in the equation, the PCIJ said Aquino has the worst case load of media killings since 1986.

Based on the impunity index rating of the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Philippines is the third most dangerous place for journalists, next to Iraq and Somalia.

UNESCO Chief Alarmed By Murders Of Three Media Workers In Brazil

Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on Wednesday expressed alarm at the killing of three media workers in Brazil in separate incidents, and urged a thorough investigation of all three cases.

"I am shocked at the killing of Pedro Palma, Jose Lacerda da Silva and Edilson Dias Lopes. The toll levied on media workers is tragic and unacceptable," the UNESCO Director-General said.

"I call on the authorities to ensure that each of these cases is investigated thoroughly and brought to justice. Freedom of expression cannot thrive under the threat of guns," she cautioned.

UNESCO said in a statement that Pedro Palma, editor of the Panorama Regional weekly newspaper, was shot dead outside his home in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro on February 13.

Jose Lacerda da Silva, a cameraman for regional TV Cabo Mossoro, was shot dead by two individuals in a car in the city of Mossoro on the evening of February 16, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Edilson Dias Lopes, a journalist for community radio Explosao Jovem FM, was gunned down in the town of Pinheiros, in the north of the state of Espírito Santo, on February 11, according to the Brazilian broadcasters' association, Abert.

The UN agency tasked with defending press freedom noted that at least ten media workers have been killed in Brazil since the beginning of last year.

by RTT Staff Writer

Why journalists should be 'interesting'

By Ria de Fiesta, ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA -- Former politician and journalist Teddy Locsin on Monday said the responsibility of a journalist is to make himself "interesting."
"You may have the truth, but if you’re a bore, if you don’t know how to write, if you don’t know how to communicate on TV or on radio, forget it," Locsin told ANC's "Talkback" during its Edsa28 Special.
"So the responsibility is on us to make the public want to hear the stories we know. That’s what the journalist is for; otherwise any Tom, Dick and Harry can do it," he added.
He also shared to the audience, composed of students from different universities in Manila, that journalists "never praise and always criticize."
"Praise... when you’re in power, you don’t need it. You’re there already. The role of media is to always be critical and in being critical, make yourself interesting," he said.
Meanwhile, former columnist Melinda de Jesus said that as a journalist, it is always hard not to speak about what she knows.
"It’s more problematic not to tell the stories that we heard, it really is more difficult not to go with the story you knew had to be heard. For me it was not about courage, or bravery, or whatever. I think every journalist who goes into the business understands that right away," she said.
"The press is the nexus, the connective tissue that holds society together," she added.
Confusion, not information
Vergel Santos, trustee of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, however, said the advent of technology has put a different perspective on journalism.
Media, he said, has substantially contributed in shaping society, but there's a catch.
"Where have the media taken society? Where are we now? You must understand that in 1986, after 14 years of oppression, there was an explosion of media. The media returned with a vengeance, understandably, but even before the media could sober up and settle in some respectable place, Internet came and to an extent confused the whole thing," he said.
According to Santos, the Internet has "just about made everyone who is not yet a journalist, a potential one."
"I mean, this is confusing. Because where before, the media were an organized industry, in fact, operating upon layers and layers of checks, the Internet is not," he lamented.
But Rowena Paraan, chairman of the National Union of Journalist of the Philippines, said citizen journalism is "actually getting bigger and bigger, much more than what we have expected."
"This just goes to show that citizen journalism, whether you like it or not, whether you agree that ordinary people can do reports or whatever, it’s definitely something that is going to stay," she said.
Jarius Bondoc, columnist of the Philippine Star, agrees, saying the Internet has a bigger audience.
"Write it on the Internet, create a blog, spread the word, and you get a bigger audience," he said. "Internet makes research for investigative journalism easier. You get reliable information in an instant and then you are able to get tips in an instant, and also confirmation."
Santos, however, said there should be more training in that field.
"If you want to harness plain citizens in this endeavor, there should be a bit more training and organization because journalism is a craft, and therefore as a craft there are certain skills that make for this craft," he said.
Locsin, meanwhile, said the beauty of the Internet is knowing that "someone out there knows better."
"Even if the mainstream media may have a bias, someone out there will correct you, and even if you say, ‘oh, who’s gonna read that?’, of course it hurts, and it starts disciplining you," he said.

How women journalists pushed limits during Martial Law

by Ria de Fiesta, ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA -- Three women journalists who shared their experiences before and after the People Power Revolution in 1986 recalled how they pushed the limits -- and eventually struck a chord in the heart of the public.
Melinda Quintos de Jesus, executive director of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), said women journalists during Martial Law realized that they had certain advantages and "were willing to push the limits of what can be tolerated."
"While every now and then, columns would either not be published or be published only in parts, we were able to create a venue that struck a chord in the heart of the public," she said on ANC's "EDSA28: A Talkback Special" that aired Monday.
Former President Ferdinand Marcos, according to Journalism for Nation Building Foundation head Marites Vitug, knew he had to show a semblance of democracy in the country because he was courting international support.
"So he allowed these 'little mosquitoes' -- what he called the 'mosquito press' -- to come out with articles that were independent. But we were careful not to be too overly critical of the First Family because that was the rule," she said.
Vitug said journalists during Martial Law knew they had limits, but could not afford to be closed down because there were more stories to report.
But the assassination of former Senator Benigno Aquino changed everything.
"It was in 1983 which really emboldened a lot of journalists, and even the public," she said.
Malou Mangahas, executive director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, agreed saying it was Ninoy's death which triggered unity among journalists during that time.
"I think the media unions played a very important role… (there were) efforts to actually organize the media so that more and more people could take bolder steps to take a stand together. So when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated, there was mourning in the press club, in the newsrooms, in the media unions, and so they had taken part in some of the activities and forums never before heard of until the time," she said.
De Jesus, meanwhile, shared how the "protest press" came into being, saying journalists wrote what they felt they had to write, up until the assassination of Ninoy.
"It took us into different areas and different issues. Up to 1983 however, when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated, by that time... we were jobless journalists. Then (came) the protest press, there were others that preceded it, but at that point we drew the line. We were the ones who were going to put out as much news as there is to find about Marcos," she recalled.
Mangahas said there were people within media who tried to insert a story about a political prisoner, a story about a massacre in some province, but "it was like a cat-and-mouse game every bit of the way."
She remembered women journalists who were summoned by the National Intelligence Board for Inquiry, which she said was actually a euphemism for interrogation, for the articles they wrote.
"They would be reviewed as an intelligence officer would for intent, content, effect… it was not simply cyber libel or malice but the intent of the writer, the content of the article and the effect of the article on audience," Mangahas said.
Asked if over the years, the media has been able to tell the real story of EDSA, Vitug said, "I think there are various voices that make up the story of EDSA. Many have been written, there are many books, but the stories continue to be written."

‘House of Cards’ journalists portrayed as odd but at least they’re not sociopaths

by Roy Peter ClarkPublished Feb. 24, 2014 4:08 pmUpdated Feb. 24, 2014 5:03 pm

Anyone who is up-to-date on the Netflix TV drama “House of Cards” knows that journalists play a significant role. I have something to say about that with the goal of viewing this portrayal within a historical context of fictional representations of reporters and editors. (If you have not yet binge-watched the 26 episodes, not to worry. There are no spoilers in this essay.)

Based on a trilogy of novels by former conservative British politician Michael Dobbs and a BBC miniseries, “House of Cards” shows American politics at its worst. Congressman Francis Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (played by Robin Wright) have been aptly compared to Lord and Lady Macbeth. Nothing can quench their appetite for power. No one can stand in their way.

Like other contemporary dramas such as “The Sopranos” and “Dexter,” the anti-heroes in “House of Cards” are sociopaths, almost daring the audience to find someone to root for. To borrow a phrase from Flannery O’Connor, “a good man – or woman – is hard to find.”

We live in an era, of course, when almost all great American institutions are in decline and disrepute. The one exception may be the military – if you are willing to discount the sexual predation of women, a subplot in “House of Cards.” All boats sink on a low tide, and the tides in this drama almost run the Ship of State aground.

Perhaps because the shallow water is so polluted, journalists in “House of Cards” don’t look so bad. Individually, each is a mess. Zoe Barnes (played by Kate Mara) looks like a teenager, but is pathologically ambitious, willing to exchange sexual favors for information with a much older Frank Underwood.  Her ruthless scoops let her climb the ladder of news celebrity, placing her at odds with the old school editor of the Washington Herald, Tom Hammerschmidt (played by Boris McGiver). He wants to put Zoe in her place and looks like he may even have some ethics, until he drops the c-word on her in an encounter that costs him his job.

Over two seasons we meet some other journalists as well, including reporters and editors who face violence, imprisonment, and intimidation as they inch closer to unthinkable truths about how things work in Washington.

This may not sound very encouraging, but the collective press corps manages to establish itself in “House of Cards” as the lesser of evils. When you get past their idiosyncrasies, jealousies, and careerism, they do seem to be following a compass. They have a collective sense of mission and purpose, which is to keep watch over a corrupt government, to pierce the veil of secrecy and to reveal horrible truths in the public interest.

If this seems like faint praise, consider the history of such portrayals of journalists over the last century. We started out pretty well in motion pictures with actors like Clark Gable in such films as “It Happened One Night,” playing the hard-drinking, hard-driving news hound as a representative of the common man, a champion of the little guy.

That portrayal began to change in the 1970s, especially after Watergate. TV’s Lou Grant was the exception to an endless stream of journalists portrayed as vultures, preying upon the weak and vulnerable, shouting over each other in predatory packs. It was a time when the tabloid press was depicted as the norm.

We were once the good guys. Then we became the bad guys. Now, at least in “House of Cards,” we are – what can I say? — morally complex.  Maybe that’s the best we can hope for: to serve as the tiniest pinpoint of light in one of the darkest depictions of America you will ever see. Just don’t sleep with a source.

Two Egyptian journalists referred to military court for leaking Sisi statements

Two Egyptian journalists referred to military court for leaking Sisi statements

Arabic Network for Human Rights Information 

The Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) condemned the referral of journalists Amr Salama Al-Qazzaz, co-founder of the Rassd Network, and Islam Al-Homsi, director of the social media department at the network, to the Military Misdemeanour Court on charges of publishing leaked videos of Field Marshal Abdel Fattah Sisi. 

The journalists were referred to the North Cairo military court on 23 February 2014 on charges of defaming the army. The first trial hearing is scheduled for 24 February. 

Al-Qazzaz was apprehended on 12 November 2013 whereby all equipment found in his house and his car, including his laptop, cellphone, and all documents, were confiscated. Al-Homsi was arrested six days later when leaving an auditorium at the Faculty of Commerce where he studies. 

The investigation process lasted for nearly three months at the military prosecution till a decision for referral to the military court was made. 

This is not the first time Al-Qazzaz faces arbitrary treatment by the authorities. In 2008, his name was deleted from the the faculty of media's student union at Sinai University; although his papers were accepted at the beginning. When he was at the Committee Overseeing Elections, Salama was asked about the reason behind that procedure, he said that he was excluded due to security interventions. Salama also mentioned that he has a blog entitled “Lesa Ayesh" (Still Alive). 

“Referring journalists to criminal or military courts is a clear encroachment on freedom of expression and opinion," stated ANHRI, "Additionally, it is a perpetuation of arbitrary procedures that have been taken, recently, by Egyptian authorities against journalists, media professionals and opinion makers." 

According to ANHRI, leaked parts of Sisi's interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper is likely malpractice on the part of the journalist responsible for the interview. Therefore, the journalist should bear administrative sanctions from within his own network. It should not be considered a violation by Rassd News and its journalists shouldn't be paying the price for publishing the leaked information. 

ANHRI urges the military judiciary to promptly drop all charges against the journalists and to release them. It also calls on the Egyptian government to suspend any form of targeting of journalists and media professionals in light of their opinions and criticisms, in a bid to respect the newly-drafted constitution that defends freedom of expression and press freedom.

Journalists pretending to be employees of Anti-Corruption Department under Prosecutor General arrested in Azerbaijan

Journalists pretending to be employees of Anti-Corruption Department under Prosecutor General arrested in Azerbaijan

[ 24 February 2014 15:00 ]

Baku. Hafiz Heydarov – APA. Journalists pretending to be the employees of Anti-Corruption Department under Prosecutor General were caught red-handed in Azerbaijan.

The press service of the Prosecutor General's Office told APA that reporters of the Kolgeli Igtisadiyyat ve Korrupsiya and Igtisadiyyat ve Korrupsiya newspapers Niyazi Mammadov, Rustam Rustamov and Senan Aghayev entered into criminal conspiracy, introduced themselves as employees of Anti-Corruption Department under Prosecutor General and undermined the prestige of the department. A criminal case has been launched on the fact under articles 178.2.1 (fraud) and 310 (misappropriation of official authority) of the Criminal Code as they were caught red-handed while receiving AZN 200 ofAZN 500 that they demanded from Emil Huseynov, supervisor of Health Center in Khatai district in order not to suspend the activity of the center.

Niyazi Mammadov, Rustam Rustamov and Senan Aghayev were sentenced to pre-trial detention.

Necessary investigative measures are being continued to reveal other crimes supposedly committed by them. Citizens affected by the illegal actions of these persons are asked to call 012-361-11-36 phone number and 161 "hot line" of Anti-Corruption Department under Prosecutor General.