// Press Freedom
THE Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ) hails as a triumph for free expression and press freedom the declaration by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC), which was adopted during the 103rd session of the United Nations, that the provisions of the Philippines’ Revised Penal Code (RPC) penalizing libel as a criminal offense is “incompatible with Article 19, paragraph three of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)” to which the Philippines is a signatory.
Recalling its General Comment No. 34 that “state parties should consider the decriminalization of defamation” the UNHRC also recommended the decriminalization of libel in the Philippines, as the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) has been urging for nearly two decades. It also recommended the review of the libel law, and urged the Philippine government to compensate Adonis for time served in prison.
// Ethics
It has been seven days since the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona started.
Since Jan. 16, CMFR has been asking online media users their thoughts on the press coverage of the impeachment trial. CMFR has also asked their opinion on the role of the press in the issue.
So far, these are some of the concerns raised on the press and its coverage.
// Training
PCIJ will conduct another briefing on January 27. Go to http://pcij.org/blog/2012/01/13/do-the-saln-salsa-with-pcij to know more.
// Impunity
Publisher killed in Bohol provinceCMFR/PHILIPPINES – NO SUSPECT has been identified in the 15 December 2011 killing of a local newspaper publisher in Trinidad City, Bohol province. Bohol is a province 640 kilometers south of Manila.
// Impunity
Publisher killed in Bohol provinceCMFR/PHILIPPINES – NO SUSPECT has been identified in the 15 December 2011 killing of a local newspaper publisher in Trinidad City, Bohol province. Bohol is a province 640 kilometers south of Manila.
// Media education
Specious and Disingenuous (updated)CMFR notes that Ms. Vitug’s attempt to get the side of UST and Corona, and her disclosing that she was either rebuffed or ignored, were both in keeping with journalistic ethics and protocol.
