Phl improves in World Press Freedom Index

MANILA, Philippines -  The Philippines rose 11 places to 127th in the latest World Press Freedom Index partly because of a fall in the number of journalists killed in 2016.

But Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres or RSF) said in a report that the “insults and open threats” against the media by President  Duterte, which it described as “another new strongman, do not bode well.”

Based on the report released yesterday, the Philippines scored 41.08 and moved up from 138th spot last year out of 180 countries in the world. But it is still considered as one of the most dangerous places for journalists being in the lower end of the ranking.

The report also said press freedom has never been as threatened as it is now, in the “new post-truth era of fake news” after the election of US President Donald Trump.

After six years at the top, Finland slipped to third due to political pressure and conflict of interest. The top spot has been taken by Norway (up two), which is not a European Union member. 

RSF said even the top-ranked Nordic countries are slipping down the index.

In the Philippines, RSF said private militias – often hired by local politicians – silence journalists with impunity while block-timing or airtime rental system is widely practiced, allowing anyone to host a political program.  

“This in turn blurs the frontiers of journalism. The media are fairly free and diverse, but Rodrigo Duterte, who was sworn in as president in June 2016, has alarmed media freedom defenders with his unveiled encouragement of violence against journalists,” it added. 

Published annually by RSF since 2002, the index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries, including the level of pluralism, media independence, and respect for the safety and freedom of journalists. The 2017 index takes account of violations that took place between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2016.

RSF said its 2017 report “reflects a world in which attacks on the media have become commonplace and strongmen are on the rise” and “highlights the danger of a tipping point in the state of media freedom, especially in leading democratic countries.”

“We have reached the age of post-truth, propaganda, and suppression of freedoms – especially in democracies,” it said.

“Democracies began falling in the index in preceding years and now, more than ever, nothing seems to be checking that fall,” the report said.

RSF said the obsession with surveillance and violations of the right to the confidentiality of sources have contributed to the continuing decline of many countries previously regarded as virtuous. This includes the United States (down two places to 43rd), the United Kingdom (down two to 40th), Chile (down two to 33rd) and New Zealand (down eight to 13th).

It cited the “highly toxic” media-bashing of Trump’s election campaign and Britain’s Brexit referendum.

“Nothing seems to be checking” the erosion of liberty of the press in leading democracies, it said. 

Media freedom has never been so threatened and RSF’s “global indicator” has never been so high. This measure of the overall level of media freedom constraints and violations worldwide has risen 14 percent in the span of five years.

In the past year, RSF said nearly two-thirds (62.2 percent) of the countries measured have registered a deterioration in their situation, while the number of countries where the media freedom situation was “good” or “fairly good” fell by 2.3 percent. - AFP