For the Record Archives - CMFR

We will not surrender our freedoms

Today, Independence Day, we renew our pledge to serve the people, to continue speaking truth to power, and to guard and defend freedom of the press and of expression from all threats.

Covering the Pandemic

Covering the CoViD-19 Pandemic

The Silent Media

Native Advertising: Not just a Problem of One

Martial law @ 50: Media repression then and now

SEPTEMBER 21 marks one of the darkest days of Philippines history, when President Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation 1081 revoking all civil liberties, shutting down the democratic system of government, and removing all checks and balances so he could establish himself as a dictator backed by the military and police.

On the supposed gains of Duterte’s “war on drugs”: Did bloody policy bring down crime rate?

IT SEEMED like a small matter, another one of those moments when a politician or public official let slip a thought that perhaps was best left unsaid. But CMFR took note of it and felt it was a moment that mattered, offering a chance to examine the message about...

Aborted deal between ABS-CBN, TV5: More than a business deal

WE CAN only speculate what could have been achieved by the planned investments agreement between ABS-CBN and TV5. When the venture was first announced in early August, Filipinos felt hopeful that something big in terms of news and entertainment programs could finally overwhelm the pressures of competition as well...

Media track cuts, spikes in Marcos’ proposed budget

ONCE MORE, ‘tis the season for budget talk. This is one area of concern about which the media can lead with news and commentary to help the public understand whether the budget indicates what the Marcos administration intends to do for the good of the people. The reports on...

Not just DepEd: Agencies flagged by COA

THE PUBLIC should now be well aware that the Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged various agencies for failing to observe the procedures for spending and accounting for their expenses. But the media have focused more prominently on the questionable procurement of over-priced and “outdated” laptops amounting to PHP...

Media recall problematic ROTC history

IN HIS first State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged Congress to restore the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program for senior high school students. Marcos argued that ROTC builds the youth’s disaster response preparedness.

Press freedom champion: Journalists pay tribute to Former President Ramos

FIDEL V. RAMOS (FVR), the 12th President of the Philippines, died on July 31. He was 94.

The KBP Presidential Forum: Pooling resources for a better informed electorate

THE KAPISANAN ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) Presidential Forum is the first of its kind, a joint effort by news organizations to provide a venue for candidates to prove why they deserve to run the country.

Under-reported and continuing: A pattern of police violence against quarantine violators

IN OCTOBER 2021 alone, media reported several cases of extortion and rape involving the police when dealing with persons supposedly in violation of curfew and other quarantine restrictions. But the pervasive and persistent violence of the state against citizens remains underreported in the media.

A Timeline of State Hostility towards Healthcare Workers

CELEBRATED BY the public as heroes, our healthcare workers have cared for the sick and saved lives, standing guard on the frontlines against COVID-19 from the earliest stages of the outbreak. The number of fatalities among medical workers made headlines in the first few months when the lack of...