Black Friday Protest led by National Union of Journalists in the Philippines, together with Bayan Negros and various organizations and sectors at the Marker of the Fallen Journalists in Bacolod City Plaza to support and save the giant network ABS-CBN from losing its franchise and the workers who will lose their jobs.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Bacolod chapter is calling on the government to stop these coordinated attacks against the media.

Since the start of the administration of Mr. Rodrigo Duterte in 2016, the media are the constant subject of his vindictiveness.

He publicly declared media as peddlers of disinformation and lies. But in fact, it was his administration and their trolls who harnessed and weaponized the use of social media — turning the public against the mainstream media.

Public trust in the media has declined, and journalists who report critical stories about the administration are being red-tagged and called as “bayaran.”

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer to Rappler, and to ABS-CBN, the government has fiercely accused media entities of “fake news” in the guise of violating the rule of law.

Again, this has created a chilling effect on the media. We don’t want journalists to constantly look behind their backs because of their reportage.

We can’t have a government dictating what we have to report. We can’t have a government that bullies its people. Enough is enough.

An attack on the media is an attack on democracy. Let the media do its job freely, which is to protect the people’s right to know.

We call on our colleagues to remain steadfast and to continue doing your jobs.

We will not cower. We will not back down. We will stand up for the truth.

#DefendPressFreedom
#NoToABSCBNShutDown

REFERENCE:

Marchel Espina
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Bacolod chapter president
09392888774

📷 Hanna Ordon