Philippines: A New Blow To Press Freedom - Authorities Order Maria Ressa’s Rappler To Shut Down
Location: Philippines, Manila
Date: July 29, 2022
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and journalist Maria Ressa’s independent online news portal Rappler has been ordered shut by the Philippines Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) yet again. The business regulator upheld an earlier order invalidating Rappler’s credentials. Maria has announced that Rappler will be fighting the decision in court and continue operations. The Coalition For Women In Journalism registers strong protest against the SEC’s order - the latest in a series of attacks on Maria and Rappler, who have been fierce critics of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs” and state overreach. We stand in solidarity with Maria and her team at Rappler and laud their decision to fight back.
The SEC first issued an order revoking the pioneering news organization’s credentials and registration in 2018 on allegations of violating constitutional restrictions on ownership and control of mass media entities. The decision was based on funds coming from the Omidyar Network - a philanthropic investment company established by EBay founder Pierre Omidyar, according to Rappler.
On June 28, 2022, the business regulator affirmed its earlier decision and revoked Rappler’s certificates of incorporation claiming that by accepting funding from the Omidyar Network the news organization had given it “control over the media organization”.
The decision, which comes after “highly irregular” proceedings, according to Maria, came just two days before the end of Duterte’s term and “effectively confirmed the shutdown” of the news outlet, reported The Guardian.
Giving the keynote address at the East-West Center’s International Media Conference in Honolulu, award-winning journalist and Rappler founder Maria said the news organization will use every legal means available to fight the decision. "We’re not shutting down. Well, I’m not supposed to say that. We are entitled to appeal this decision and will do so, especially since the proceedings were highly irregular."
Maria and her news organization, as well as other journalists associated with Rappler, have long since been targeted by the Duterte administration for their work. The independent news portal has been fighting the SEC’s decision since 2018.
“We continue to work. It is business as usual… [We] will follow the legal process, we will continue to stand up for our rights,” said Maria during her speech in Honolulu.
The veteran journalist is no stranger to state-endorsed persecution. The SEC’s decision is the latest blow in the Philippines state’s relentless six-year campaign against the news organization. “We have been harassed, this is intimidation, these are political tactics and we refuse to succumb to them," said Maria.
Maria has been a vociferous critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s government and the deadly “war on drugs” he launched in 2016. For holding power to account, the Nobel Laureate and her team have been targeted with a series of legal battles, investigations and online attacks. The repeated state-linked attacks on her have brought her to the frontlines of the fight for press freedom around the world. In 2018, she was named Person of the Year by Time magazine for her struggles for press freedom and free speech. It is apparent that while Maria and her team at Rappler remain determined to speak truth to power, the state remains determined to silence their work.
#BREAKING: Nobel Peace Prize laureate and @rapplerdotcom CEO Maria Ressa says the Philippine government has ordered her digital news organization to close. She received a shutdown order last night while in Hawai’i for an international media conference. #rappler
— Annalisa Burgos (@AnnalisaBurgos) June 28, 2022
On December 10, 2021, a lawsuit was filed against Rappler and six other news organizations by a senior member of the Philippines cabinet. This lawsuit was the eighth active legal case against Maria brought by the state. Her legal battles in seven cases, including an appeal against her 2020 conviction for criminal cyber libel, in which she faces up to six years in prison, are still ongoing. The CFWIJ has closely followed the continued legal harassment of the journalist and press freedom fighters at the hands of the Duterte administration. Find our detailed timeline of the attacks on Maria and Rappler here.
The shutdown order on one of the few critical media outlets left in the Philippines is unacceptable! It is apparent that the decision is yet another attempt by the state to silence independent reporting and evade accountability. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the SEC’s order and calls for its immediate reversal. We stand in solidarity with Maria Ressa and her team at Rappler. Their powerful reportage has exposed abuse of power by the Duterte administration, the violence unleashed on the people of Philippines by the deadly “war on drugs”, and documented how social media is being used to propagate fake news and harass opponents. We call on the authorities in the Philippines to immediately reverse the decision and allow Maria and her team to do their jobs. The country ranked 147th out of 180 on the latest World Press Freedom Index and has seen some of the worst press violations under Duterte’s rule. It is crucial that his successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son and namesake of the late dictator, actively work to undo the damage done to independent media in the country. Journalists must be allowed to do their work without fear of government retaliation!
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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