Imagining a world without fearless journalism
In a world where censorship and intervention allow for more oppression than moderation, journalists fight to deliver the truth and speak for the people, braving both natural and orchestrated threats that entail their job.
More than they could admit, journalists find themselves in difficult situations, holding on to their sacred oath that without fear of favor, the truth should be pursued where it leads.
Today, it’s hard to imagine a world without fearless journalism.
A world without fearless journalism, is a world without check in power, without avenue for different shades of opinion—a world of darkness where discrepancies and injustices exist to be ignored.
The purpose of journalism is to report information that people rightfully deserve, to be the clarity among the polarized noise, to be the guiding light for a nation in the face of crises.
However, there is a long history of threats to journalists all over the world for reporting the inconvenient truth. According to a report published by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Philippines is named as the most dangerous country for journalists in Southeast Asia, followed by Myanmar. Due to threats to the press and the number of unresolved media killings in the country, the Philippines scored 7.7 out of 10 in the report’s impunity scale.
In total, 13 journalists have reportedly been killed ever since President Duterte has sworn in office. Eleven of them were killed within the first two years of his term, recording the highest number of journalist murders within the first two years of any Philippine president. Aside from media killings, there are also indirect systematic attacks, most blatant of them the attempt to shut down critical news organizations such as Rappler and ABS-CBN. The most common threats among media workers, on the other hand, concern poor wages and working conditions along with censorship, legal issues, cyber and targeted attacks, as well as physical safety.
A world without fearless journalism, is a world without check in power, without avenue for different shades of opinion—a world of darkness where discrepancies and injustices exist to be ignored.
Nonetheless, journalism continues to thrive through the barriers that hold them from shedding light to the truth, a reason to continue protecting and celebrating press freedom.
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Fearless journalism is not only about exclusive exposès, investigative documentaries, and critical editorials. Fearless journalism does not always mean going on the offense, but rather, on the defense and welfare of the people it serves, through reports that save lives and write history as it happens.
Fearless in seeking the truth and courageous in echoing the people’s cries: this is what it truly means to unfold the untold. In a sense, there is a reason why freedom of speech and the press are among the essential rights. Being able to speak and hold power to account is the core of successful democracy. After all, the foundation of journalism lies upon public interest, attempting to revive the fading assurance in society that justice is inescapable.
Editorial Cartoon by Emmanuel Esmilla
