EDITORIAL — A victory against red-tagging

In what can be considered a landmark victory, journalist Atom Araullo has won a case he filed against Sonshine Media Network International hosts Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz for red-tagging him and his family during one of their broadcasted programs.

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 306 said that what Badoy and Celiz did in linking Araullo and his mother, Dr. Carol Araullo, to communist groups, was “defamatory and beyond the bounds of free speech”.

We say this is a landmark victory because it should set a precedent for those in positions of considerable reach and influence who just call anyone anything they please sans proper proof, as well as for those who have been suffering because of those actions.

We have written about Badoy and Celiz before because of their penchant for red-tagging just about anybody who doesn’t agree with their views. In particular, Badoy deserves special mention because even for all her supposed expertise she still cannot tell between who is a communist and who is an activist, or who is working against the government and who is just doing their job.

To recall, she even made threatening statements against a judge whose decision she did not agree with.

Now a judge has ruled that what they did to the Araullos was risky and dangerous and ordered them to pay the Araullos ?2 million in damages.

“Their remarks were aimed at damaging the plaintiff's reputation and credibility, both as a person and as a journalist by associating him with the CPP-NPA-NDF without proof… These labels and remarks went beyond mere editorial opinion or fair commentary and, worse, incited backlash, threats and public hatred toward the plaintiff,” part of the decision read.

For sure, Badoy and Celiz won’t ruined financially by this decision; they or their supporters can cough up ?2 million quite easily. They can even appeal or look for other remedies in court if it costs much less to do so.

But this should at least warn them that they should be more careful with their words, because next time they might have to pay more than just ?2 million. And Badoy and Celiz certainly have no shortage of people they have wrongly red-tagged.