World Press Freedom Day

Today is World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2008, but still the freedom that we always talk about is not yet being followed or strictly enforced by governments around the world allergic to press freedom. The United Nations Charter on press freedom had been in effect for many years but nothing has changed since then, rather media killings continuously working against freedom of the press.

In a latest press release, the United Nations identified the countries who are worst violators of press freedom. Number one in their “Shame List” is Iraq followed by the Philippines. Both countries have a five star rating in terms of media killings incidence, disappearances and unresolved cases.

According to the UN, the two countries are too dangerous for media organizations to practice their profession. In the Philippines the high incidence of media killings are blamed on politics, corrupt government, military and police officials, drug lords and influential big syndicates operating in all parts of the Philippines in connivance with the powers that be. Most cases are unresolved.

Although the UN has already determined their findings in their “Shame List” categorizing countries of their human rights records, the Philippine authorities decried the findings of the UN. They said that it was inappropriate for the UN to describe the Philippines as the second worst violators of press freedom.

But it can be recalled that the Philippine media have suffered the worst kind of treatment and human rights violations committed by the military and police authorities last Nov.2007 when all media men were arrested and handcuffed while doing their job covering the Manila Peninsula standoff.

Thus, it was not only media killings hounding the press people but media censorship are being applied in the Philippines, the number two worst violator of press freedom, not to mention the rampant human rights violations committed against the hapless, unarmed, law abiding citizens of the Republic of the Philippines.      

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