Former Manila Times publisherand veteran journalist Mr. Ermin Garcia Jr., weighs in the issue regarding the beleaguered Rapper CEO Maria Ressa.
Ressa was arrested for a case filed
by a civilian complainant for cyber libel, a cause of action provided for by
law as against private individuals whom reputation has been maligned, as in
this case. It has followed the procedural law up until the issue of warrant,
arrest, and bail. No issue of any violation of law, up until Ressa was
interviewed by the press- it was as of your watching a telenovela at primetime.
 |
| Rappler CEO Maria Ressa (photo credit to owner) |
Just like that Ressa wittingly made
use of the power of media to make it appear that being a journalist an ordinary
case of libel is a weapon that can destroy all together the Constitutionally
protected right of freedom of the press.
Fully quoted herein for purposes of
educating or letting the public know and for truthfulness and clarity is the
Facebook post of Mr. Ermin Garcia Jr. calling Ressa as the “Journalist who
cried wolf”
THE JOURNALIST WHO CRIED WOLF.
Libel law is provided by law to check press freedom abuses and allow aggrieved parties legal recourse. More often, cases are filed by politicians and powerful businessmen to inconvenience and harass journalists but even when they do that, curtailment of press freedom was and is never perceived as an attack on press freedom, not even by journalists - only now and in the case of Maria Ressa.
The
ultimate harassment of a journalist is to be killed. But that's the hazard of
the trade. Journalists are aware of this but they still want to do what they do
best - to get to the facts so the public would be enlightened. It's what
democracy is all about. This is what journalists and their media affiliations,
including Rappler, do to this day.
Why Ressa chose to take her legal cases to the
public, to make public fight for her by invoking press freedom as the core
issue when clearly it isn't, baffled this journalist. No news establishment or
journalist is being made to stop reporting the news, no columnist is being summoned
and warned. Rappler never stopped reporting.
In brief, to
journalists harassment via libel is nothing new. Even killing of journalists is
nothing new.
So
why all the hysterics about dying democracy and curtailment of press freedom at
this time? What's Rappler's Ressa's agenda?
Ressa
already filed her bail bond. (How much was the bail?) The legal process has
started. Rappler will continue reporting news and opinions critical of govt.
But the obviously well- funded pocket protests contra Duterte govt continue
still hoping to get media mileage overseas. So what else is new??
Sadly,
Ressa risked Rappler's credibility over her baseless press freedom hysteria.
She cried wolf too soon, all for personal and political agenda. Tsk tsk
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