Philippine journalists’ perceptions on press freedom

In this journal article published by the Pacific Journalism Review, Dr Rachel Khan examines the perspective of Philippine journalists on press freedom, and international media freedom campaigns.

Drawing from data gathered through 20 semi-structured indepth interviews with Filipino journalists, this study examines the effect of government hostility on journalists’ perception of press freedom, as well and their attitude towards interventions from international media organisations and coalitions. More specifically, it looks at the impact (or lack thereof) of global media coalitions and foreign media organisations in the country.

The findings show that local media are appreciative of the support given by international media organisations in promoting media freedom in the country. However, journalists also noted that when only one segment of the media is targeted, it can lead to divisiveness among local media practitioners.