The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines takes offense at Vice President Sara Duterte´s criticism of Philippine journalism as falling short of international standards and her endorsement of social media as the only truth peddlers.
By denigrating Philippine media, Sara is unleashing one of tactics straight out of a dictator´s playbook: controlling information by demonizing the independent press and weaponizing social media for her propaganda.
Philippine journalists have received awards and their work have been recognized in the international community, a fact that belies Sara’s claim of the media being subpar from global standards.
Despite this, the media continued to bear the brunt of the Dutertes’ attacks, first from her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and recently from Sara’s scathing remarks.
Also, contrary to the claim of Sara, social media is far from being a platform for truth. Studies show algorithms in social media reward misinformation, with lies being spread faster than the truth.
It is also well-known that their family’s political operators have unleashed misinformation on social media that peddled untruths to attack their political rivals and institutions critical of their clan.
This is not the first, nor the last, that Sara has expressed her contempt for the Philippine media. She has in the past called out several news outlets and even media personalities for what she believes is an unfair reporting on her family.
While we admit that newsrooms can make mistakes and some so-called news outlets straying from the norms of journalism, it is outrageous for the Vice President to generalize and insult the work of many brave and honest journalists in the Philippines who stand firm in their commitment to report on the truth despite threats to their lives and safety.
If only Sara paid more attention to standards of governance and leadership instead of scapegoating the media, she would have avoided the predicament she is now facing before the Senate impeachment court.
NUJP maintains Sara’s renewed attacks on the fourth estate is unbecoming of a high official of the land and reveal her authoritarian tendencies and contempt for freedom and democracy.
Reference:
National Directorate
secretariat@nujp.org
