Press Freedom

#JournalismIsNotACrime: Stand with New Naratif against harassment of independent journalists

EngageMedia 09/03/2021

Since July 2020, the independent news organisation New Naratif has been under attack by the Singaporean government in for allegedly breaking the Parliamentary Elections Act by boosting elections-related Facebook posts containing during the previous Singaporean election. New Naratif has stated that, “the Prime Minister’s Office is abusing the law to attack us as part of a long-standing campaign of intimidation and harassment”.

Statement: Finas Act must be reformed to protect freedom of expression

EngageMedia 13/08/2020

We appeal to Finas to stay true to its role of “uplifting, nurturing and facilitating” the development of the Malaysian film industry, as stated in Section 6 (1) of the Finas Act, and not function against the interest of filmmakers. If Finas enforces regulations under the law to censor and penalise filmmakers, it will go against its own objective and purpose.

Pretty Good Podcast Episode 2: Cyber libel and press freedom in the Philippines

Sara Pacia 25/06/2020

The second episode of Pretty Good Podcast delves deeper into the Philippine court cyber libel ruling against journalists Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos Jr. of Rappler, a Philippine news organisation known to be critical of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte. We ask John Nery, a columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and co-founder of the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation: What does this case mean for press freedom, and what are the wider implications of this ruling for freedom of expression online?

Maria A. Ressa, Chief Executive Officer, The Rappler, Philippines

The conviction of Maria Ressa: weaponising cyber libel to suppress freedom of speech

Vino Lucero 16/06/2020

On June 15, 2020, online news organization Rappler’s CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa and former Rappler researcher-writer Reynaldo Santos Jr. were convicted of cyber libel charges over a seven-year-old report on a businessman’s alleged links to illegal drugs and human trafficking. The ruling, which can still be appealed and brought up to the Supreme Court, is the most recent addition to a growing list of attacks on press freedom and freedom of expression in the Philippines.

The Myanmar government is hiding the truth of Arakan conflicts

EngageMedia 19/05/2020

The military strategy to fight the AA and other rebel groups in the country can be summarized into cutting off four key areas: recruitment, food, budget, and information. The fourth part, information, means to censor news and media about the Arakan conflicts.

Opposing the ABS-CBN shutdown

Sara Pacia 08/05/2020

At 7:52 p.m. on May 5, 2020, Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN went off the air after its congressional franchise to operate expired the day prior. This article gives context to what happened and provide you with ways you can campaign against the shutdown.

World Press Freedom Day: How can civil society support journalists?

EngageMedia 03/05/2020

May 3 marks World Press Freedom Day, a day to commemorate the importance of freedom of the press. This year’s theme, “journalism without fear or favour”, is particularly apt considering the world today, when reporting on the coronavirus has become “the new scapegoat for media censorship”.

The Philippine Drug War: A Primer

EngageMedia 03/04/2018

The Philippine “War Against Drugs” lead by president Rodrigo Duterte since 2016 has led to the deaths of over 12,000 Filipinos till March 2018.

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