A global annual event close to the heart and mind of media workers takes place every May 3 – World Press Freedom Day.
The day serves as a “reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom” and also as an occasion for reflection among practitioners particularly on issues of press freedom and media ethics.
UNESCO reiterated that the day is observed “to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess its state throughout the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence and pay tribute to journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty.”
This year, the observance is focused on the theme “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a Driver for All Other Human Rights”.
In keeping with the objectives of the observance, Reporters Without Borders, or RSF – Reporters Sans Frontiers in French – published on WPFD this year the 21st edition of the World Press Freedom Index – a platform that evaluates the journalism environment in 180 countries and territories.
And what does the report say this year? RSF described the situation as “very serious” in 31 countries, “difficult” in 42, and “problematic” in 55 countries.
RSF, a non-government organization committed to safeguarding the right to freedom of information around the world, reported at least a beacon of hope in 52 other countries, where the situation has been described as “good”. This means the media climate is more “bad” than “satisfactory” in seven out of 10 countries.
I am not sure if the Philippines is among those in the “satisfactory” list with its 132nd ranking, considering that 70 percent of the 180 countries covered by the assessment is placed at 126. What is seemingly encouraging though is the fact that our country moved up 15 notches, the highest placement on six years since its 127th ranking in 2017.
The RSF report showed that the Philippines ranks the ninth lowest in the region – just ahead of Hong Kong and its fellow ASEAN nations Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, which ranked No. 178, followed by China and North Korea – where pressure from authorities are evident – as the tailenders.
For the seventh consecutive year, Norway ranks first followed by Ireland, Denmark.
Among the biggest drops is India from 150th last year to 160 this year apparently because of the apparent anti-pluralistic policies of its administration.
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My Ilonggo friend, Dr. Vic Salas, posted on social media that a press forum was held in Iloilo City to celebrate World Press Freedom Day.
The forum was sponsored by the Graciano Lopez Jaena Foundation and featured Rommel Lopez of PressOne PH and multi-awarded Bacoleña Inday Espina-Varona of Rappler, herself a great, great granddaughter of Lopez Jaena’s brother.
I caught up with Inday two days later and she shared the following thoughts delivered at the forum:
“Lopez Jaena used his journalism consciously – to fight for his causes (and end the abuses of the friars and other Spanish bureaucrats, as well as for parity of rights for Filipinos) – because the vast imbalance in power, and the fact that this power, Spain, had been given the benefit of the doubt for centuries, showed the need for a more assertive exercise of press freedom and freedom of expression.
“As a young journalist in the early 1980s, I shared the same urge to wield the pen consciously to combat a tyrant and stand unapologetically on the side of the people. And that many colleagues in the past six years though the same and made similar decisions as thousands died in President Duterte’s brutal drug war,” she said, among others.
More on Inday’s thoughts and on additional details of the World Press Freedom Index in next week’s issue.
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We remember this week our dear friend, neighbor, media colleague and my former Journalism student Eric Loretizo, who would have celebrated his 57th birthday on May 2. A get-together was held by a small group of his relatives with the support of his sister, April, a nurse in Saudi Arabia. He slipped into eternity on the evening before New Year 2023.
Eric would have celebrated World Press Freedom Day, too, as he had worked as newspaper editor as well as tri-media news and sports reporter before he assumed public relations and marketing consultancies.
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For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13) – NWI
