RP 133rd in press freedom ranking

The Philippines ranked a poor 139th among 167 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, based on a survey conducted by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, a senior administration lawmaker said yesterday.

Cebu City Rep. Eduardo Gullas said the country’s poor press freedom ranking — down among the lowest 20 percent of the index — "betrays the growing occupational hazards being faced by Filipino journalists, particularly those in the provinces. They face increasing risks to their personal safety as they go about performing their jobs."

Gullas, whose family founded The STAR’s partner, The Freeman which is one of the oldest newspapers in Cebu, said the 2005 index was based on "press freedom infractions" that transpired between September 2004 and September this year alone. The infractions do not include human rights violations in general.

"The index measures the state of press freedom globally. The index reflects the degree of freedom journalists and news organizations enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by states to respect and ensure respect for this freedom," he said, quoting the group, also known as Reporters Sans Frontieres or RSF.

Gullas said the RSF’s 2005 country report on the Philippines recognized that Philippine authorities have achieved "significant progress" in their investigations of the murders of journalists, but also lamented that "impunity continues to undermine all efforts, encouraging killers and those who give them orders to commit further offenses."

The Manila-based Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility previously noted that only two of the 54 most recent killings of Filipino journalists have been resolved by authorities in a manner that resulted in the criminal conviction of the culprits.

The 52 other cases were still being investigated either by the police or the prosecutor’s office, were pending in court or had been dismissed for lack of evidence.

The RSF country report listed five journalists killed in the Philippines this year as Edgar Amoro of Radio dxKP, Marlene Garcia Esperat of Midland Review, Klein Cantoneros of Radio dxAA, Philip Agustin of Starline Times Recorder and Rolando Morales of Radio dxMD.

The five Filipinos were among the 55 journalists killed worldwide this year, according to the RSF. The group also listed five media assistants killed, 111 journalists imprisoned and three media aides jailed this year.

In 2004, the RSF reported that six Filipinos were among the 53 journalists killed worldwide.

The RSF also listed at least 16 cases of Filipino journalists who were either "physically attacked or threatened" in 2004.

Based on the 2005 World Press Freedom Index, the 10 countries with the greatest press freedom, ranked from first to 10th, are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia.

The 10 countries with the poorest press freedom, ranked 158th to 167th, are Vietnam, China, Nepal, Cuba, Libya, Burma, Iran, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, and North Korea.

Iraq ranked 157th, immediately above Vietnam. At least 23 journalists were killed in Iraq this year.

Other Asian countries generally ranked much higher than the Philippines, with South Korea placing 36th; Hong Kong, 39th; Taiwan, 52nd; Cambodia, 91st; Indonesia, 105th; Thailand, 107th; and Malaysia, 113th.

Singapore ranked 140th, right below the Philippines. Laos ranked 155th.

The members of the Group of Eight most industrialized nations, except for Russia, received high rankings. Germany ranked 19th; Canada, 21st; the United Kingdom, 24th; France, 30th; Japan, 37th; Italy, 42nd; and the United States, 44th.

Russia ranked 138th, immediately above the Philippines.

The RSF compiled the World Press Freedom Index by asking its partner organizations and network of 130 correspondents, as well as journalists, researchers, legal experts and human rights activists, to answer 50 questions designed to assess a country’s level of press freedom.

In May, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report that the Philippines has been the most dangerous country for journalists since 2000, followed by Iraq, Colombia, Bangladesh and Russia.

Colombia and Bangladesh ranked 128th and 151st, respectively, on the RSF’s index.

Palace to stand by criticisms of press

Malacañang said it will stand by its criticisms of the press, saying that with all its power and influence, its practitioners "are not above scrutiny."

President Arroyo earlier urged members of media to shed their "bad boy" image and become instruments for the country’s growth, rather than its downfall.

"We are surprised at how some segments of the press have been stung by the statements of the President, and appalled at how some personalities have seized the opportunity to lambaste the President rather than join her in her appeal for greater responsibility in media," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said.

He noted that media "is all-powerful in our society. They can expose, criticize, exalt and destroy."

Bunye called on the media not to become unreachable since they shape minds, influence opinions and even dictate the political and business climate just by wielding their pens.

"While the greater number of our friends in media exercise responsibility, there are also those who take perverse glee in highlighting all that is ugly in our own country and people when there is much more that is positive and uplifting," he said.

Bunye said media practitioners "should not take offense at the President’s statements nor complain that (they are) being gagged. In fact, our media enjoys so much freedom that some of them need to be reminded of the fundamental rules of balance and fairness."

He urged journalists to take into consideration the complaints of the public regarding too much negativism in media, saying "it is time to turn self-destructive negativism into positive messages about our country and our people that we all can rally behind."

Some senators scored the President for supposedly scolding the media and telling them what to report when she and her administration are not material for good news.

Opposition congressmen described Mrs. Arroyo as a "bad girl" who attracts the attention of "bad boys." — With Aurea Calica