Censorship, digital media, and the global crackdown on freedom of expression

Other Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Forbes, Amy;Mariano, Gary
Abstract

Between the end of World War II in 1945 and the declaration of martial law in the Philippines in1972, Filipino journalists liked to boast of having the “freest press” in Asia. In reality, the history of the Philippine press has been one of repression marked with occasional glimpses of freedom. Recent Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) data describe the Philippines as “partly free.” This chapter looks at how this fundamental democratic liberty was placed in jeopardy, legally or otherwise, during the administration of President Duterte from 2016 to 2021. Threats to press freedom include the shutdown of one of the country’s biggest television networks, continuing harassment of journalists by local officials, unexplained cancellation of news and public affairs programs, and the high-profile cyber libel charges against online news website Rappler CEO Maria Ressa. The discussion draws mainly upon published news reports, accounts of professional organizations of journalists, and a personal interview with a journalist who directly experienced threats and harassment in connection with the discharge of their professional roles.

Journal

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Publication Name

Censorship, Digital Media, and the Global Crackdown on Freedom of Expression

Volume

2

ISBN/ISSN

9781433199745

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Pages Count

15

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Publisher

Peter Lang

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Publisher Location

New York, NY, USA

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EISSN

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DOI

10.3726/b21751