Lawmaker seeks protection for media workers
NOT FORGOTTEN Photographs of 58 people, including 32 journalists who were massacred in Maguindanao, are shown at Mendiola bridge in Manila on November 23, 2019. (File photo from MARIANNE BERMUDEZ)
MANILA, Philippines — ACT Teachers party-list representative France Castro has called for the strengthening of the media industry so that free speech and press freedom are protected.
This comes after a recent study showed the state of Philippine media is still “largely grim.”
Castro raised concerns about the findings of the Reuters Institute’s 2023 report.
This document mentioned that red-tagging and killings have not ended despite the shift in the political leadership.
“A vibrant and fearless media is crucial in holding those in power accountable, and in ensuring transparency and accountability in governance,” she said.
“It is disheartening to witness the continuous assault on press freedom, which undermines the democratic principles we hold dear,” she lamented.
Castro is also worried about the study’s findings that online sites and social media have become the primary sources of information for young people.
She believes this is dangerous due to the proliferation of misleading materials on the internet.
She said the shift from reliance on traditional media to social media has brought forth the “erosion of critical thinking and the lowering of the intellectual quotient of the public.”
The study said radio and television still are the most popular media.
GMA Network and other established media companies have the “dominant audience share.”
It also showed that online sites and social media are regular sources of information.
Content site ‘TikTok’ was among the fastest rising platforms.
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