"We are only truly free if we can gather enough humility to examine ourselves and our practices, correct our mistakes and renew our commitment to excellence and the public good."
World Press Freedom Day today coincides with a multitude of issues confronting media in general and Philippine journalists in particular.
According to UNESCO, this day acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom; it is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.
Today we have in mind the disturbing provision in the Anti-Terrorism Law which, if it falls on the wrong hands or is implemented by someone with a vengeful or dictatorial bent, could be potentially used to suppress dissent or criticism.
“Any person who, without taking any direct part in the commission of terrorism, shall incite others to the execution of any of the acts specified in Section 4 hereof by means of speeches, proclamations, writings, emblems, banners or other representations tending to the same end, shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment of twelve (12) years,” according to Section 9, falling under Inciting to Commit Terrorism, of the law.
Today, too, we remember that note from an undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office to various officials of the government media agency to “convey to the public that the Philippines is faring better than many other countries in addressing the pandemic.”
An earlier phrase emphasizing the need to include global updates in the fight against COVID-19 is correct; the instruction to spin the narrative to make it appear that the government response to the pandemic is adequate is wrong, even reprehensible. Then again, for government agencies, perhaps the line is blurred between news delivery and propaganda.
We hope, thus, that our government leaders realize that those who criticize them do not necessarily want to bring them down. Only fools with binary minds would ever think that. We criticize because it is our job to hold officials accountable and to suggest ways to run the country better.
On this day, as well, journalists need to assert that despite economic and other challenges, we chose this vocation and are here for the long haul. Then again, we should free ourselves from our own sense of infallibility and self-importance.
It could be tempting to think of journalism as a crusade, something undertaken by those with the purest of hearts and the noblest of intentions. But it could also be easy to fall by the wayside or get caught up in hubris, believing that we can do no wrong.
Today, as we mark World Press Freedom Day, may we remember that we are only truly free if we can gather enough humility to examine ourselves and our practices, correct our mistakes and renew our commitment to excellence and the public good.
