"Why Are They Killing Journalists?” A Filipino Journalist Talks about the Threat to Press Freedom

On October 20, 2005 the Honolulu Community Media Council hosted the talk "Why are they killing journalists?" by visiting Filipino journalist, Luisita Cruz-Valdez at Sacred Hearts Academy. The speaker is Vice President for Current Affairs of ABS-CBN, the largest radio and television network in the Philippines.

Sacred Hearts Academy, which has an award-winning school newspaper and  produces its own daily video broadcast, offered the use of its premises for the talk. Taking the talk to a school environment is also part of the Media Council's effort to bring issues such as the threat to press freedom to the attention of young people and help them get more focussed on the importance of protecting this vital feature of democracy.

Cruz-Valdez provided personal examples of how press freedom can be compromised not just by the killing of journalists but through the exercise of insidious pressure from powerful institutions. In addition, she described how she, as a  journalist reporting on corruption, had to balance societal expectations of courtesy towrads the people in power whom she interviewed against the need to simply tell the truth, as uncomfortable as it might be.

The nearly 100 young women of Sacred Hearts Academy who filled the auditorium to listen to Ms Valdez, plied her with questions and learned that women outnumber men 4:1 in journalism in the Philippines and that journalism, while not being a well-paid profession provided the satisfaction of giving motivated professionals the wonderfully satisfying opportunity of helping to write history.

The talk had the support of Chaminade University Communications Dept, East West Center, Friends of the East West Center, Hawaii Filipino Chronicle, Loomis-ISC, PAAC, Philippine Consulate, The Honolulu Advertiser and the UH Center for Philippine Studies.

Please let me know if you have any interest in using this material. Gaylen Isaacs is the teacher in charge of the Journalism program and is the advisor to the school newspaper at Sacred Hearts Academy. I am sure she will be happy to provide more information or comment if requested.

For more information please call 748-0880 or email info@mediacouncil.org

Back to Home