A female broadcaster was killed in Zamboanga City on Tuesday night, October 22, the National Union of Journalists (NUJP) said in an alert.
As the country marks National Press Freedom Day, we note that the barriers to its exercise remain.
The tone may have changed, but the press freedom landscape remains virtually unaltered: In the Philippines, journalists remain under attack for reporting the truth; the people’s right to know remains vastly curtailed; and the practice of journalism remains a dangerous act.
The Freedom for Media Freedom for All (FMFA) coalition, in solidarity with the media journalism community nationwide, condemns the death threats against VERA Files for fact-checking and countering disinformation.
On World Press Freedom Day, we remind ourselves that while there have been victories — in court, with the acquittal of Maria Ressa and Rappler of tax cases, for example — many, far too many of us are still facing threats and that our freedom is still fragile.