WITH VIOLENCE against journalists in the country described as “increasingly worrying” along with Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, the Philippine’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index for 2018 by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) dropped to 133 from 127 in 2017.
The index covers 180 countries.
“The Philippines is one of the continent’s deadliest countries,” the RSF said in its report released on April 25, taking into account the work-related deaths of four journalist in 2017.
In addition, the local media environment had also been affected by the leadership of President Rodrigo R. Duterte and his anti-drug campaign.
“There have been countless examples of Philippine government harassment of media that voice any kind of criticism of (Mr.) Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’,” the RSF said. “Here again, verbal violence and physical violence are closely linked.”
The RSF had consistently denounced Mr. Duterte, even prior to his assumption of office.
The group had previously called out Mr. Duterte when he made a comment that corrupt journalists are legitimate targets for killings.
The five countries where the freedom to inform face the biggest threats are North Korea, Eritrea, Turkmenistan, Syria and China.
On the other hand, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Finland and Switzerland are among the safest places for journalist.
RSF is an independent non-government organization with consultative status with the United Nations, UN Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Council of Europe and the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF).
The World Press Freedom Index is based on an online survey with 87 questions, translated to 20 languages and targeted to select media professionals, lawyers and sociologists.
The questionnaire gauges a country’s performance based on pluralism, media independence, environment and censorship, legislative framework, transparency, infrastructure and abuses. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

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