Slain Journalists

Study says 54 slain media men not 'trained' journalists

Volt Contreras
Inquirer News Service

A TOTAL OF 54 JOURNALISTS have been killed in the line of duty throughout the country since 1986.

But not one of the victims, hard-hitting or crusading they might have been, could be considered "trained" for their dangerous job, according to a new study on the alarming level of media violence in the Philippines.

A great majority were never members of any national media organization that could have provided them some training on media ethics as well as institutional protection against threats or harassment, the study also noted.

"The slain journalists were not trained journalists," the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) said in its findings released yesterday.

About 62 percent of the 54 victims had college degrees "not related to journalism or mass communication," CMFR Deputy Director Rachel Khan said in a forum at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City.

Some 25 percent finished high school while 13 percent "had no record of educational attainment," she added, quoting the study which the group started last May.

CMFR Executive Director Melinda Quintos de Jesus explained that the study only counted journalists silenced for their work and excluded those who died as a result of personal disputes, ordinary crimes, or other violent incidents unrelated to the profession.

Favorite target

Broadcast journalists have been the "most common targets" since 2000, with 21 of the last 25 victims coming from their ranks.

But a closer look at their credentials revealed that "17 or more than 80 percent of [the] murdered broadcasters didn't have accreditation...from the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas," the study said.

They never had KBP accreditation because they "failed to renew their license, did not pass the accreditation exam, nor had no records at all."

Of the 952 radio stations nationwide, only 63 percent or 604 are KBP members, the study said, citing data from the National Telecommunications Commission.

Abuse of power

In an interview, Khan conceded that lack of training on the part of some reporters or commentators made them "abuse" the power of the press. They tend to be "hard-hitting without evidence or proper data-gathering."

While maintaining that there's no excuse for the criticized party to resort to murder, journalists caught in such life-threatening scenarios "could have been more prudent in their reports," she said.

"Efforts at fair reporting might have deterred (any violent retaliation)," Khan added.

Also, "they can become easy targets if they are not affiliated with any institution and left to themselves," she said.

No affiliation

Another common finding among the victims was that "none of them were affiliated with any national news organization," the study added.

Thirty-five percent were freelance journalists while another 35 percent were radio block timers or broadcasters who paid for their own airtime. Only 25 percent were regular employees and five percent were correspondents.

The study came with a list of the 54 dead, starting with Pete Mabazza, a Manila Bulletin stringer in Isabela province who was killed in April 24, 1986.

The latest to fall, as monitored by CMFR, was Rolando Morales of dxMD-General Santos City, who was killed last July 5 and already the fifth victim this year.

Hired killers

The Philippine National Police's Task Force Newsmen is currently holding 42 murder suspects, of whom 32 were arrested while 10 turned themselves in.

The suspects are believed to be hired killers. "To date no police investigation has actually led to the indictment of a mastermind," the CMFR reported.

Only two cases of the 54 media killings had resulted in convictions. These were the murder cases of Alberto Berbon of dzMM-Cavite (No. 23 on the list and killed in December 1996) and Nesino Paulin Toling of (No 17 and killed in April 1991).

Three cases had been dismissed for lack of evidence, with the potential witnesses clamming up for fear of their own lives, although most of them know who the masterminds were, the study noted, quoting the PNP.

Fifteen cases were pending in courts while 27 were still under investigation. Five cases involved journalists covering armed conflicts who were killed in the crossfire; two died in a crossfire during coup attempts.

Danger zone

Still, the study stressed that it was still "misleading" to consider the entire country a danger zone for media men.

"Some provincial regions have proven more hazardous than others," it said.

In the last five years, Calabarzon (Region IV-A) and Zamboanga Peninsula (IX) have emerged as the most dangerous, accounting for 20 percent each of total deaths. Coming in second were the Bicol Region (V) and Socsargen (XII) accounting for 12 percent each. No media killings were reported since 2000 in Regions II (Cagayan Valley), IV-B (Mimaropa), VII (Central Visayas), VIII (Eastern Visayas), X (Northern Mindanao), the Cordillera Administrative Region and the National Capital Region.

Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)

Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP)

National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)

Philippine National Police (PNP)