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Saturday, September 27, 2003
Nalzaro: No story is worth our life
By Bobby G. Nalzaro
THIS is my third article about the media this week, and this is in keeping with the celebration in Cebu of the Press Freedom Week and Broadcasters’ Month. My first article was about media as an economic enterprise, the second about the hazards of the profession.
This piece is somewhat connected to my second article. I am reprinting here excerpts of the pamphlet published by the Freedom Fund of Filipino Journalists (FFFJ), a non-government organization that documents cases involving physical harassment of media practitioners.
This is to give an insight to those who, like me, are already in the profession and to those aspiring to be one. As I said, to be a media person is no joke, especially if you are in news and public affairs.
For the uninitiated, we media people have several categories. There are those who are in field of entertainment and business, which are less challenging and controversial. But those who are in current affairs and opinion making should expect some backlash.
The pamphlet entitled, “Staying Alive” gives an overall picture of the dangers faced and experienced by those in the media. It documents some unsolved killings involving journalists. Here are the excerpts:
No matter how ethical and careful journalists are, they are likely to face threats, harassment or intimidation. During the last decade, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has compiled a list of 366 journalists who have been killed while carrying out their work. An analysis of this list gives some sense of the kinds of journalists who are most vulnerable to physical attack.
While conflict and war have provided the backdrop to much of the violence against the press, most journalists killed in the world since 1993 did not die in crossfire. Instead, they were hunted down and murdered, often in direct reprisal for their critical reporting.”
In fact, according to CPJ statistics, only 60 journalists (16 percent) died on crossfire. Maybe this figure has increased already because of the just-concluded war on Iraq. (Several ‘embedded’ journalists there have been caught in the crossfire between Iraqi and coalition forces.
A total of 277 (76 percent) journalists were murdered in retribution for their work. The remaining journalists were killed in conflict situations that cannot be described as combat—while covering violent street demonstrations, for example.
Many times, journalists were murdered to either prevent them from reporting on sensitive issues such as corruption or human rights abuses or to punish them after they have done so. But always remember: “no story is worth your life.”
I, too, have received threats and experienced legal and physical harassments in my 23 years in this profession. Bodyguards of a rich family in Mandaue City ganged up on me after I exposed exorbitant charges in their barge operation when the first Mactan-Mandaue Bridge was closed to traffic. That was 13 years ago and thank God I survived.
Also, I was charged with libel and contempt of court almost 20 times.
In the Philippines, the most alarming is the high casualty rate among community journalists. While Manila-based journalists can get away with accusing highest officials with grave wrongdoing, there is less critical reporting in the provinces, especially in areas where political bosses or clans rule.
(Send your comments and suggestions to: Bobby@sunstar.com.ph or at bgn@cebu. gmanetwork.com. My cell phone number is, 09193181404)
(September 27, 2003 issue)
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