Bea Rochelle E.

Tanierla 1/22/22
BAJ 2-2N JOUR30083

MIDTERM EXAMINATION

1. Despite the existence of the international laws and our statues, why do you think journalists
still experience threats and violence?

Some Other Media Burdens

Press freedom should be guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution and international laws
such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19, which should protect the right of
everyone to freedom of expression. So, why our journalists and media practitioners are still being
targeted for harassment and assassination?
According to the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines Article III Bill of Rights Section 4,
"No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press..." The
fact that many journalists are now being charged with libel and cyber-libel is proof that laws are
now being weaponized against media workers. People of power are trying to silence journalists
and keep them from criticizing their wrongdoings by threatening to imprison them.
We should also not forget about the shutdown of ABS-CBN, the country's largest
broadcast network, obviously because of its critical way of reporting. We can still notice that it
really caused a chilling effect on our journalists. Sadly, the government does not understand the
responsibilities of media. They just see the media as an enemy.
I agree with Mr. Christian Esguerra as he said that some people really see the press as
nothing but fault-finders. I think it's because of the lack of public understanding of the
responsibilities and function of journalists in our society. I believe this is the reason why there's
also lack of public outrage when journalists are harassed. This lack of pressure from the people
does not help on making media harassers accountable but instead tolerates them.
The silence of people when the news reached them that a journalist was attacked or killed
became the reality of individuals who play the crucial role of providing the public the
information it needs. The media has been relentless in monitoring the government's actions and
even force people in power to take responsibility for their wrongdoings. It's sad that some people
only see them as fault-finders.
On the other hand, we must not ignore the possibility that other contributing factors
might have influenced the lack of public outrage when media workers are harassed. The
government's accusations that the media is all for money and making it look like the enemy
might have caused its supporters to view media the same way. And we have to admit that some
media practitioners have really gone the wrong path and preferred to be unethical, causing
people to have less trust in media. But whatever the reasons may be, it is undeniable that the lack
of public outrage helps to further encourage media harassers.
There are laws made to protect our media workers, but they seem to be ignored by people
who think they are above these laws. Sadly, laws are now used to harass, threaten, and silence
journalists. Also, there has been lack of public outrage to make the government and its other foes
accountable for their continuing attacks on media. But despite the dangers that journalists face
and the attempts to silence and scare them, it is amazing how they still manage to get the news
out, do critical reporting, and express opinions with directness. That's why I still believe that the
press remains and will continue to endure because its loyalty remains to the public, who needs
information and deserves the truth.

2. In your own words, how do conflict and journalism relate to each other?

A Journalist’s Responsibility

Journalists have been relentless in reporting events occurring inside and outside the
country. These include the numerous conflicts between people, organizations, and even nations.
Journalists play a crucial role in gathering facts and data about events that may threaten the
welfare of the public. Some of the conflicts that often started with misunderstandings or
disagreements ended with serious fights and even wars that took many innocent lives. So, when
there is a conflict, expect that journalists will be there to cover it.
Indeed, journalists are always in the midst of conflicts, thus making journalism a very
dangerous profession. That is why risk awareness and safety training courses are being held so
that journalists can learn to protect their lives while reporting in a dangerous place or situation. A
reporter's story on a conflict can be the only source of information available for the public, so we
often feel that we need to gather every detail. But as a journalism student, I have learned that the
greater the threat, the less opportunity for us to gather information, and we have to accept that.
There is no need to force ourselves. It's always safety first. Because how are we going to tell our
story if we're already dead?
Conflicts are inevitable because of people’s differences when it comes to interests,
beliefs, and opinions. But not all conflicts are destructive. If the disagreement is managed
peacefully, it can produce a positive outcome. But when a conflict is not managed properly, it
can become a threat to the safety of everyone. The conflicts are always there, and so are
journalists to report them. But, just like how providing information for the public during
dangerous times is journalists' responsibility, so is protecting their own lives.
3. What is the culture of impunity and how does it affect the journalism practice?

Continuing Chapters of Impunity

The continuing harassment and killings of journalists, the low number of arrests of the
suspects, and the slow-going identification of the masterminds indicate that the culture of
impunity in our country still persists. But these seem to have not succeeded in silencing our
media because otherwise, no journalists now would be facing charges just because they fulfilled
their duties.
In 2009, a politically motivated massacre killed 32 journalists and media workers in
Maguindanao province on November 23. The perpetrators tried to hide their heinous crime,
burying all the corpses in a pit. Even though the masterminds Andal Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy
Ampatuan were arrested, other 80 massacre suspects still roam free, emboldened by the
government's lack of will to act and make the perpetrators accountable for their crime.
Incidents, where journalists are threatened, attacked, and killed, are still happening even
now. The current administration has repeatedly attacked journalists and media organizations
through serious accusations, government-backed filing of cases against alternative media
journalists, and the shutdown of the country's largest broadcast network, ABS-CBN. Rappler has
also reported that 22 journalists and media workers were killed since Duterte became the
president in 2016. Clearly, the administration lacks the sense of responsibility to protect the press
and the press freedom.
The lack of public understanding of the responsibilities and function of journalists in
society is one of the reasons why there is a lack of public outrage when journalists are attacked.
This lack of pressure from the people obviously does not help on making media harassers
accountable. But I think another reason why people seem to have less care on matters that
concern journalists are the unethical and unprofessional practices of media in the past.
The incidents throughout the past years where journalists were threatened, attacked, and
killed, caused climate of fear to our journalists and they have been more careful than ever. But
these attempts to scare and silence our journalists have not succeeded because the media has
managed to resist through risk awareness programs, safety training for media personnels, and
continuing campaigns for practicing professional and ethical journalism.