Mobilising for press freedom in Duterte’s Philippines: forms and challenges

Abstract

While most Philippine presidents start their administrations with a 'honeymoon' stage with the media, former President Rodrigo Duterte started on controversial grounds. On 1 June 2016, even before he was officially sworn in, Duterte held a press conference in which he justified the killing of corrupt journalists. While he later backtracked due to the strong reaction from media groups, this statement foreshadowed further attacks against the media during his presidency.In his second State of the Nation Address in July 2017, Duterte named two news organisations that would suffer the most attacks during his term: ABS-CBN, the country's biggest television network, and Rappler, a major online news outlet known for its activist stance. Earlier that month, Duterte also launched tirades against the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the biggest national broadsheet. The statements and attacks would not remain empty threats, as Duterte would soon mobilise various government agencies to curtail these organisations.