Online threats vs. PHL media increased —US report

Filipino journalists have reported increased online threats due to articles they posted that are critical of the government, said a US State Department report released Saturday.

"Many journalists reported an uptick in online threats, including threats of violence and harassment, in response to articles posted online that were critical of the government," the report said.

The report said that according to journalists, some threats came from politicians and government authorities ""critical of their reporting."

Amid the threats, however, the report said that media reporting in the Philippines remained unrestricted.

"The independent media remained active and expressed a wide variety of views without restriction, including criticism of the government, despite critical and threatening comments from government leaders," it said.

In September last year, President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to the public not to threaten journalists.

The report also cited the case of two journalists who were killed between January and August in 2016 due to their profession.

The Philippine National Police's Task Force Usig, which investigates and tracks killings of media practitioners, did not classify these cases as work-related killings and reported no media killings as of September of last year, the US State Department added.

The report included the case of a columnist in Catanduanes, who was killed by unknown gunmen on December 19 after publishing an article blaming the local government for negligence after a large shabu laboratory was raided by authorities.

Lack of journalistic standards

Meanwhile, some media commentators criticized most media outlets for "lacking rigorous journalistic standards and for reflecting the particular political or economic orientations of owners, publishers, or patrons."

The report said some of the publishers were close associates of government officials.

"Observers suspected special interests of using bribes and other inducements to solicit one-sided and erroneous reports and commentaries that supported their positions," the report added.

In April last year, then presidential candidate Duterte drew widespread criticism after he told the media that journalists should enjoy no special protections and could be “assassinated” for being “corrupt.” —ALG, GMA News