PH slips to 134th in World Press Freedom Index 2024

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The Philippines remains a “dangerous place” for journalists, slipping further to 134th place out of 180 countries ranked in the latest World Press Freedom Index by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

This year’s rank for the Philippines is two notches lower from its 132nd spot in 2023, when the country improved 14 places in the index.

The RSF noted that “there seem to have been fewer and less violent attacks” against Filipino journalists under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration, but such incidents were “still worrisome.”

“Harassment by means of threats and ‘red-tagging’ persists, while defamation and cyber-defamation are still punishable by prison sentences,” RSF said.

It added, “The Philippine media are extremely dynamic despite the government’s targeted attacks and constant harassment of journalists and media outlets regarded as overly critical, especially since 2016, when Rodrigo Duterte became president.”

While freedom of the press is guaranteed under the 1987 Constitution, the RSF said, the Philippine law “does not protect journalistic freedom in practice.” It cited the legal debacle facing Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa, and the detention of alternative journalists Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Lady Ann Salem.

Compared to the Duterte administration’s stance on journalists, the RSF said, Marcos “is more consensual, but the authorities still often resort to ‘red-tagging.'”

The RSF again found the Philippines to be one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists, highlighted by the 2009 Maguindanao massacre wherein 32 media practitioners died.

“At the regional level, many journalists are also the target of threats and lawsuits, while women journalists are subjected to specific gender-based threats, such as threats of rape, cyber-harassment, disclosure of personal details and so on,” said RSF.

According to the latest data by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), there have been 135 incidents of attacks and threats against media workers since Marcos took the presidency from July 1, 2022 to April 30 this year.

GMA News Online has requested comment from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) regarding the latest World Press Freedom Index rankings, but has yet to reply as of posting time.

On Press Freedom Day last Friday, Marcos praised journalists for their “courage in conveying unbiased reports” and “being stalwarts of truth and transparency.”

The PCO, for its part, assured that the Marcos administration was committed to providing media practitioners with a safe environment.

Norway topped the World Press Freedom Index again due to its robust legal framework protecting press freedom. Meanwhile, Eritrea ranked last as it was allegedly notorious for detaining journalists longer than any other countries. — VDV, GMA Integrated News

This article PH slips to 134th in World Press Freedom Index 2024 was originally published in GMA News Online.