PHL 2nd deadliest place for journalists – media watchdog

By ROUCHELLE R. DINGLASAN, GMA News

Published February 21, 2012 5:50pm

Despite the Aquino administration's promises to protect the media, the Philippines remains the second deadliest country in the world for journalists in 2011, next only to Iraq, an international media watchdog group said.

In a report posted on its website, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) noted that at least 72 journalists were killed in the Philippines for their work since 1992.

"Fatalities include murders, along with deaths on dangerous assignments," the CPJ said.

The CPJ said President Benigno Aquino III's vow to reverse the trend went unfulfilled as legal proceedings in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, where 32 of the 58 victims were media workers, stalled amid numerous defense motions to disqualify witnesses and suppress outside scrutiny.

It noted that in another high-profile case, an appeals court denied a dismissal motion filed by two government officials accused of plotting the 2005 murder of reporter Marlene Garcia-Esperat. As of posting time, Malacañang has yet to respond to GMA News Online's request for comment.

The CPJ also said its research showed two radio journalists — Gerardo Ortega and Romeo Olea — were killed because of their reporting in 2011.

Despite high levels of press and Internet freedom, provincial journalists worked under constant threat of reprisal.

Ortega and Olea were shot and killed for their reporting, the CPJ noted.

"Half of the 72 Philippine journalists killed since 1992 worked in radio, CPJ data show. The 2011 killings add to the country's long record of deadly anti-press violence," the CPJ said.

In 2012, General Santos City’s publisher and broadcaster Christopher Guarin was killed, in what had been tagged the world’s first media killing in 2012.

Guarin was shot by motorcycle-riding assassins while he was in a car with his family. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines did not appear to be surprised.

“Unfortunately, masama ito para sa image ng bansa, [however] this is not the first time," said NUJP chairman Nestor Burgos.

According to NUJP, 150 Filipino journalists have been killed since democracy was won back in 1986. Burgos claimed that out of these cases only 10 cases have been resolved.

“Before and after the Maguindanao massacre, the media killings remain unabated. There were no significant change on the attacks and resolution of these cases despite the repeated pronouncements from the government [for help],” he noted. Iraq tops list

Figures from the CPJ showed Iraq topped the list of deadliest countries for journalists with 151 deaths.

The others on the list included:

3. Algeria: 60

4: Russia: 53

5: Colombia: 43

6: Pakistan: 41

7: Somalia: 36

8: India: 27

9: Mexico: 27

10: Afghanistan: 24

Internet penetration, Facebook

Meanwhile, CPJ noted Philippine Internet penetration has lagged behind several of the country's Asian neighbors, based on data from the International Telecommunication Union.

Yet, it said Filipinos have quickly adopted social media platforms, ranking among the world's top 10 in total Facebook users, according to social media statistics aggregator Socialbakers.

As of November 1, 2011, the Philippines ranked eighth on Facebook use with 26.7 million. The US topped the list with 156 million, followed by Indonesia with 40.8 million and India with 38 million.

The CPJ report noted 51 percent of journalists killed were from the print media while the other 50 percent comes from radio. Six percent of those killed were from the television medium.

“[The percentages] may add up more that 100 percent because more than one category applies in some cases,” CPJ said.

It also said columnists or commentators were usually targeted by perpetrators at 38 percent, followed by newspaper reporters or writers at 29 percent.

Broadcast reporters including radio and television media personalities were also targeted at 22 percent while the editors at 10 percent. Publishers or owners, photographers, and camera operators were aimed by killers at 7 percent, 4 percent, and 1 percent, respectively.

CPJ's report also noted that 61 percent of the media men killed were covering the politics beat followed by corruption beat at 42 percent.

Media killing at the crime beat was placed 24 percent while the human rights beat at 7 percent. Both the business and war beats poses the lowest percentage at 1 percent.

Ninety-seven percent of the media killings involved murder while killings in dangerous assignments were only at three percent.

Seventy percent of the suspected sources of murder cases were government officials followed by criminal groups at 14 percent.

Political groups were also suspected at 7 percent while 10 percent were still unknown.

The murder victims that were killed and taken captive accounts for 44 percent while the threatened and tortured victims were placed at 30 percent and 40 percent, respectively.

Most of the victims were male at 92 percent with the females accounting only to 8 percent.

The report added that 10 percent of those who were killed were freelancers.

— RSJ/VVP, GMA News

Tags: mediakillings, journalistkillings, committeetoprotectjournalists,