The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines notes with concern that the National Bureau of Investigation has issued subpoenas to colleagues who were part of Vice President Sara Duterte’s November 23 online stream in connection with its investigation into remarks that the Vice President made then.

While we respect the NBI’s duty and jurisdiction to investigate the matter, we note that government agencies have already asked Facebook parent Meta to preserve the video and metadata of the stream and have already determined that the video was not created through artificial intelligence.

Given that the video has already been authenticated, there is little need, in our view, to summon journalists to do that. Our colleagues were part of that stream to cover the Vice President’s statements, and the reports from that coverage have already been published or broadcast.

Given how some of Sara’s supporters have already shown hostility to the media, we are concerned that having our colleagues testify before the NBI can be interpreted as partisan participation in this issue.

Appearing before the NBI will also mean our colleagues will need to set aside anywhere from a few hours to a full day to heed the subpoenas, which would prevent them from doing their jobs and could mean lost income for them.

As we call on the NBI to rethink summoning our colleagues for its investigation, we also call on newsrooms to weigh the potential effects of their reporters’ involvement in this probe and others that may follow.

At the very least, colleagues who are summoned should have the assistance and guidance of a company lawyer.

As in drug buy-busts and similar operations, NUJP believes that the best way for media workers to help with government investigations is through fair and accurate reporting as witnesses to our political history, but not necessarily as witnesses in official proceedings.

Reference:
National Directorate
09602784263