2 May 2020
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines Baguio-Benguet chapter condemns the cyber-attack on Northern Dispatch as the news organization faces a continued harassment while amplifying the voice of the poor and the marginalized.
On April 28, the web-based platform of Northern Dispatch [www.nordis.net] was beset with a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, forcing the platform to crash and become unavailable to its audience.
The attack on the Northern Dispatch site comes at the height of a worldwide pandemic where news and information is crucial to a people anxious and in want of news.
Since April 17, access to www.nordis.net, has been intermittent, denying an audience vital information amidst a public health emergency.
The cyber-attack is the latest of a series of calculated harassment tactics against the news organization. The team has survived a constant red-tagging by state forces of correspondents in Cagayan Valley, Deo Montesclaros and in Ilocos, Paola Espiritu with Managing Editor, Sherwin De Vera, being accused to be part of communist organizations.
With the most violent attack happening last year, when Northern Dispatch correspondent to Ifugao, Brandon Lee, was shot in front of his home and has now been forced to recover abroad.
Despite the odds, Northern Dispatch, has taken the string of attacks as a badge of courage as its editorial team refuses’ to be cowed nor silenced.
The NUJP – BB stands proud to be one with Northern Dispatch in its quest to side with the truth.
Reference:
KATHLEEN OKUBO
NUJP-BB Chairperson
09175222272
