Murder of journalists

In central Baghdad, two British members of a US news crew were killed and a reporter seriously wounded last Monday raising to 96 the toll of media workmen killed in Iraq. In the Philippines, no less than the Amnesty International has urged President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to disband any group or groups found responsible for the killing of hundreds of left-wing activists and journalists in the country. The world image is that next to Iraq, the Philippines is the second most dangerous country for journalists.

As we have previously stated, this is a total misimpression. In the first place, in Iraq, the journalists killed were foreigners and noted international newsmen. In the Philippines, no well-known journalists from Metro Manila where all the major newspapers are published have been threatened. All the journalists killed were so-called freelance journalists or broadcasters from the province.

But we agree with the Amnesty International that the administration should put a stop to the series of killings of journalists and activists. This means identifying, arresting and prosecuting all those who were responsible for the series of killings. This is the only thing that will put a stop to the continuous murder of journalists and activists.

There was a suggestion that newsmen should arm themselves. We don't agree with that recommendation. First of all, the series of killings seem to have had one pattern. Most, if not all, were executed by two men riding together in a motorcycle. The slain journalists were shot even before they knew what was going on. They would have had no time to fire back. We believe that the carrying of firearms will be counter productive. The assassins will just make sure that the newsmen are shot dead even before they can even draw their firearms.

Another suggestion is that journalists should have worn black last May 31. The movement was to be called Media in Black. These things do not help. What media organizations should do is to investigate and study all past cases and decide which media men were actually martyrs to their profession. Then they should put up a shrine with the names of all those who died for freedom of the press, better still, freedom of expression in our country.

In our lifetime, we knew of only two things when the country was deprived of freedom of the press: the Japanese occupation and the Marcos regime. We know how the Japanese regime ended with Manila as the second most destroyed city in the world. As for the Marcos dictatorial regime, suffice it to say that when it began we were the second most developed country in Asia, next only to Japan. When it ended, we were the second poorest country after Bangladesh.

In January 6, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt defined the Four Freedoms as that of speech and expression of worship and the freedom from fear and want. As far as we are concerned, all freedoms have to start with freedom from ignorance. In short, education. What is freedom of speech to a person who is totally ignorant? What will he say?

Journalism is part of our freedom of expression. The people who are killing journalists are against that freedom. In short, they do not believe in democracy.