Press Freedom Protection Archives | Page 12 of 76

Rappler CEO Arrested on Anti-Dummy Law Charge

CMFR/ PHILIPPINES – Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa was arrested early morning today, 29 March 2019, on charges of violating the Philippine Anti-Dummy Law. She posted bail and was ordered released by a Pasig court past noon. The Anti-Dummy Law penalizes any individual or corporation that circumvents...

Alternative Media Groups File Raps vs Cyber-Attackers

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – Alternative media outfits Bulatlat, Kodao Productions and Pinoy Weeky as well as alternative media network Altermidya filed a civil case today, 29 March 2019 at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, against IP Converge Data Services Inc. and Suniway Group of Companies for the cyber-attacks on their...

Rappler Correspondent Barred from PDP-Laban Rally

CMFR/PHILIPPINES — A correspondent of online news site Rappler was made to leave the premises of a university in Cagayan de Oro where President Rodrigo Duterte led a campaign rally of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino –Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) on 24 March 2019. Cagayan de Oro is 1408 kilometers...

2 Broadcasters Convicted of Online Libel in Cotabato

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – Two radio broadcasters in Kidapawan City were convicted of online libel Friday, 22 March 2019 on charges filed by North Cotabato Governor Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza. Kidapawan City is 1,605 kilometers south of Manila. Broadcasters Eric Rodinas, anchor of Radyo Natin and Larry Baja Subillaga Jr., a freelance...

Court Resets Arraignment of Rappler CEO, Former Researcher

CMFR/PHILIPPINES — The arraignment of online news site Rappler CEO and editor Maria Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos has been reset to 12 April 2019 to give Manila RTC Branch 46 Judge Rainelda Estacio-Mendoza enough time to decide their Motion to Quash dated 26 February 2019. Ressa and...

Cagayan de Oro Journalist “Red” tagged

CMFR/PHILIPPINES- A Mindanao-based journalist was accused of being a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on 22 February 2019. Although the CPP is not illegal, mere allegations of membership in it have often led to being charged with ordinary crimes like illegal possession of firearms, murder...

Rappler’s Maria Ressa Posts Bail on Cyber Libel

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – Rappler CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa posted bail today, 14 February 2019, at Branch 46 of the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) in connection with a cyber libel charge over an article the online news site published in 2012. Ressa was arrested yesterday, February 13, by...

An Attack on One is an Attack on All

THE CENTER for Media Freedom and Responsibility condemns the arrest of Rappler CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa on cyber libel charges filed several years after the alleged offense was supposedly committed, and before the enactment of the Cyber Crime Prevention Act. The arrest was also made after office...

After Alternative News Sites, NUJP Website Also Attacked

CMFR/PHILIPPINES — The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) website has been subjected to distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) since 8 February 2019. The attack made the NUJP website inaccessible several times. An NUJP report said that on February 8, its digital security partners found 426...

Cyber-attacks Hit Bulatlat Anew

CMFR/PHILIPPINES – Cyber-attacks hit alternative news site Bulatlat.com starting 19 January 2019, bringing the website down for several days and forcing the media organization to move the website to a more secure host. On January 25, Bulatlat announced through social media that “a ‘crazy amount’ of attacks ha(s) been...