Celebrating Press Freedom

Like many other things that slipped my mind recently, I also forgot the celebration of National Press Freedom Day last August 30. It was in honor of Marcel Del Pilar who is known as the Father of Philippine Journalism. This day is when members of the media and the civic sector alike give value to the freedom that we have especially with the press. We live in a democracy and it is our right to have a free press. Similarly, the freedom of expression is also our right.

However, we still doubt the freedom that we have now. It is a seemingly repeated cycle of what the press went through during the days of colonization. During the Japanese Occupation, there was a lot of censorship and prior restraint on print media because they wanted to control the narrative. The government at that time wanted people to believe that their actions were justified to become a better country. If you are gullible and could be easily deceived, you would really believe that they are doing more good than harm. Historical accounts tell us that the Japanese regime wasn't the friendliest at all.

It may not be as physical as it was in the past, but we are seeing another form of censorship and prior restraint. During the forum with the Cebu Citizens Press Council, I shared that journalists today are limited with their stories because acquiring sources has become difficult. Most government agencies try to shun us when it comes to hard-hitting issues. They refer us to their national headquarters where we do not get an answer at all. We are thankful for those who are still cooperative with us but we hope it is the same for the rest.

At other times we are not only denied information, we are also stuck with information officers who also cannot answer our queries. We are grateful if they can help us in one way or another, but it just really gets hard as they are also swamped with other tasks. In a recent study published by the same council, they noted that most stories today are police stories. Not that it is what the audience wants (unless supplemented with another study), but it is what is most accessible to the media. Our partners in law enforcement are always so abreast in giving us the information we need, if only the rest could do the same.

Is our press truly free? That question remains to be a subject of discussion among the academe, stakeholders, and the media itself. With the threat of disinformation and the rise of artificial intelligence, it is difficult to hold on to what is legitimate. We still continue to lobby for genuine press freedom until our citizenry becomes well-informed. That only happens when they are not easily swayed by information without verification and historical facts that are distorted. When that day finally comes, it will be a turning point for Philippine journalism.