VERA Files
A YouTube video’s headline and thumbnail claim President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos ordered the closure of media giant GMA Network Inc. This is not true, but a mere clickbait.
Press freedom in the Philippines does not fare better than Singapore and Malaysia, according to the Paris-based World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders.
Iginiit na “hindi patas” ang ginawa ng Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) ng United Nations na ipahayag ang kanilang mga alalahanin sa mga ulat ng mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao sa bansa, kabilang ang pagkakapatay sa mamamahayag na si Percy Lapid, maling iginiit ni Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri na ang Pilipinas ay may “napakamalayang media” kumpara sa mga bansang tulad ng Malaysia, Singapore at Vietnam.
The FB post and PNA’s July 26 report both need context, as Duterte’s claim is not true and has already been refuted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) at least twice last year.
In his State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs) since 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte has only made seven promises related to media: five on state-controlled media, one concerning access to information and one addressing media killings.
Local news outlets, in writing about the death and legacy of the former chief executive, also cited the criticisms and controversies that marked his presidency.
Experts from the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila and the Australian National University (ANU) reported that different types of media systems in Southeast Asia (SEA) are vulnerable to specific kinds and sources of disinformation.
More than halfway into his six-year term, President Rodrigo Duterte has neither made new promises nor followed through on previous ones related to the media since his 2016 state of the nation address. Yet there was no let-up in his clashes with, and tirades against the media.
The sharp decline of the public trust in media based on the findings of 2019 Philippine Trust Index survey is not surprising but something to be concerned of.
Since the last PTI trust rating survey in 2017, trust in the church declined to 90 percent. Confidence in government went down to 76 percent. But the decline was sharper for media, which fell to 69 percent from 78 percent.