There is a general hostility toward journalists in many countries, according to the 2018 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. The animosity is fanned by political leaders themselves, even those from non-authoritarian, supposedly democratic countries.
In extreme cases, RSF said journalists critical to those in power are deemed terrorists; those who do not show loyalty are sent to jail.
In India the report said, hate speech against journalists is shared on social media by administration-paid trolls. In the Czech Republic, the president brandished a fake Kalashnikov on which was written “for journalists.” In Slovakia, the prime minister said journalists were “filthy anti-Slovak prostitutes” and “idiotic hyenas.”
Across the globe, many journalists are targeted and killed for their work.
Even the US president, the supposed leader of the free world, was tagged a “media-bashing enthusiast” who once called reporters “enemies of the people.”
“Political leaders who fuel loathing for reporters bear heavy responsibility because they undermine the concept of public debate based on facts instead of propaganda,” said the secretary-general of the RSF. “To dispute the legitimacy of journalism today is to play with extremely dangerous political fire.”
This is a situation not at all foreign to Filipinos.
Just this week, the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines decried attempts by the administration to stop it from covering events involving the Labor and Foreign Affairs alter egos of the President. Similar restrictions were enforced as the journalists covered the war in Marawi and the closure of Boracay Island.
“The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines [FOCAP] is deeply alarmed by the Philippine government’s strong actions that clearly violate Constitutional provisions on freedom of information,” FOCAP said in a statement.
The House of Representatives is also preparing measures that will allow it to revoke the accreditation of media organizations whose reportage besmirches the reputation of the House, its officials and its members.
It is no surprise that the Philippines also figures in the highlights of the World Press Freedom Index. “President Rodrigo Duterte not only constantly insults reporters but has also warned them that they are not exempted from assassination,” according to RSF.
Meanwhile, purveyors of highly dubious information appear to be rewarded for their propaganda efforts, with no accountability whatsoever for the consequences of their work.
Perhaps the President must be reminded—not everyone who applauds you is your ally. Not everyone who criticizes you is out to bring you down.