NUJP warns state repression remains biggest threat to media freedom

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) marked World Press Freedom Day on Sunday, citing hundreds of attacks and a continuing climate of impunity under the Marcos Jr. administration.

In its statement, the group said it had recorded 242 media freedom violations since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office. Of these, 43 percent were allegedly perpetrated by government officials and state security forces.

“State repression remains the biggest threat to media freedom, and the pattern of violations under this administration is deeply alarming,” the NUJP said.

Ten journalists have been killed during the same period.

Although police ruled two of those deaths as non-work related, the NUJP said “the fact remains that the state has failed to protect journalists and media workers. Perpetrators have not been brought to justice.”

The NUJP said red-tagging has persisted, with 39 incidents recorded since 2016, and criticized the Marcos administration for refusing to abolish the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

It said the government has also ignored the 2024 Supreme Court ruling declaring red-tagging a threat to life, liberty and security.

Beyond red-tagging, the NUJP said libel and the Data Privacy Act continue to be used as weapons against the press.

“In some instances, politicians threatened colleagues with charges… often as a warning against pursuing controversial stories,” the group said.

The NUJP added that journalists continue to face surveillance, physical and verbal attacks, cyberattacks, denial of access to information, and online harassment.

It lamented that the recommendations of UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan—including stopping media killings, decriminalizing libel, ending red-tagging, and passing a Freedom of Information law.

The NUJP said these attacks “do not happen in a vacuum,” but are driven by attempts to “hide, obfuscate or distort” the truth for political ends.

“We call on the public to stand with us in defending media freedom and democracy.”