MANILA, Philippines — The state of the media in Asia and the Pacific is grim, according to the Communication and Information Sector of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), which released a regional overview of its report, World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development.
Violent acts against journalists have increased over the six-year period covered by the study, 2007 to 2012, with most of the 135 media killings going unpunished.
News is increasingly veering towards tabloidization and entertainment, even as media workers try to cope with commercial and competitive pressures.
Women remain under-represented at all occupational levels of media companies, and in top management, are significantly underpaid as compared to their male counterparts.
However, there are bright spots, such as the emergence of more news platforms thanks to the Internet. The underserved in rural areas are also accessing more information now.
Here are 35 things the report reveals about the health of the press in 44 countries in Asia and the Pacific, including the Philippines.
Legal environment:
- 41 countries have guaranteed freedom of expression in their constitutions.
- Majority have laws imposing penalties for defamation.
- Criminal and civil defamation charges against media continue to threaten media freedom in most of the region.
- More governments are conducting online surveillance and threaten to imprison bloggers and citizen journalists.
- Online news sites and blogs are being targeted for content deemed offensive by authorities, with the latter blocking or pressuring private Internet service providers to do so.
- Real-name registration requirements are resulting in increased levels of self-censorship.
- Cyberattacks are a new threat.
- More countries are adopting cybercrime laws, but public pressure against contentious provisions has been successful.
- 14 countries have a freedom of informational national law, but problems remain in its implementation
Media pluralism:
- More news outlets are going online, and are being accessed increasingly on mobile digital devices.
- There are more newspapers and readers of these.
- More people in the underserved rural areas are accessing information.
- Many news providers are favoring infotainment and tabloidization, with a focus on sports, lifestyle, and entertainment.
- Women continue to be significantly less represented at all occupational levels in media companies, though globally, there has been a slight increase in female reporters.
Independence and self-regulation:
- More television channels are becoming privately owned. In some countries, this has led to an independent monitoring of public affairs. However, TV licenses still continue to be owned by those close or part of ruling elites.
- The state continues to influence much of print media, but it has exerted less control over the years.
- Some countries see government giving in to public pressure to decrease regulation and control of the media.
- Self-regulatory systems are weak.
Journalists:
- In Southeast Asia, low salaries of reporters allow “envelope” journalism to continue, with cash inducements for coverage.
- There continues to be a gender gap in salaries, with men earning nearly five times the average salary for women in top management and governance.
- Commercial pressures are becoming more felt by those in state media.
- Because of competition and commercialism, more journalists are viewed, and view themselves, as employees rather than professionals with a public responsibility.
- Audiences are going online.
- Revenues are decreasing.
- Journalism associations and non-governmental organizations mold professionalism and build capacity. UNESCO says the Philippine Press Institute is a “noteworthy” example.
- Most employers lack resources for on-the-job training programs, but NGOs and other groups fill this gap. UNESCO mentions the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University as another “noteworthy” example.
Media safety:
- 135 journalists were killed in Asia and the Pacific. UNESCO noted that 34 of these occurred in a single incident, presumably the Ampatuan massacre. (The massacre, acknowledged as the single deadliest attack on the press in history, claimed the lives of 32 media workers – Eds)
- Unsafe countries have become even more so.
- In South and Southeast Asia, more journalists have been imprisoned.
- Often, the killers are unpunished.
- Violence against journalists has worsened in South and Southeast Asia, taking the forms of physical attacks, verbal threats, and torture.
- In South Asia, female journalists were targeted because of their gender, with such attacks often unreported.
- A significant percentage of the attacks were reportedly perpetrated by government officials and political groups.
- Over 100 recorded cases of arrest or harassment involve citizen journalists.
- At least 140 journalists have gone into exile. –Tricia Aquino, InterAksyon.com
