journalists in a 'peace-time democracy'

The "peace-time democracy" mentioned in the title of this post is the Philippines. Under normal circumstances, I would have cheered that my country was being called this. At today's presentation of the 2009 Global Impunity Index of the Committee to Protect Journalists, however, it is most definitely an irony -- considering that, of all the peace-time democracies included in the index, the Philippines ranks highest.

Overall, it is sixth in the index rating of 14 countries -- higher than Afghanistan -- with 24 unsolved journalist murders from 1999 to 2008.

Though the countries topping the list are those currently caught in armed conflict -- Iraq, Sierra Leone, and Somalia -- most that made the list are peace-time democratic countries. Aside from the Philippines, these countries are Russia, Mexico, Brazil (the only newcomer to the index), Bangladesh, and India.  

The index measures the number of unsolved journalist killings in relation to a country's population. As such, the Philippines has 0.273 unsolved journalist killings for every one million people.

an emblematic case

Impunity is defined by Merriam-Webster Online as "exemption or freedom from punishment, harm, or loss."

The fact that the murders of journalists have gone unsolved shows the incompetence or unwillingness -- maybe both -- of the powers-that-be to do anything about them. But more than this, they encourage more killings. They send the message that if you're going to kill a journalist, you're going to get away with it scot-free.

The launch of CPJ's Global Impunity Index today was a way of marking the murder four years ago of Marlene Esperat. Esperat was killed in her own home and in front of her children. 

Though charges were filed late last year, the arrest warrants have not been served. 

The case has become "emblematic of the struggle against impunity," said Elisabeth Witchel, CPJ's impunity campaign coordinator.

just doing their job

Killing a journalist is the ultimate censorship. 

Most -- if not all -- of the journalists killed were playing watchdog in their own localities. And all but one journalist were based in small towns outside Metro Manila, which rarely get any attention from national media. 

The journalists were reporting on corruption and crime. They were speaking out against those who had misused and abused their power.

They were just doing their job. And they were killed for it.

What a thankless job it is indeed. 

If this is the kind of treatment journalists get at peace time, I would not want to know what kind of treatment they would get during a war. 

many small fish

Some very striking concepts and vivid images will remain with me now that the PJ1 workshop has ended.

One of these was the image of a small fish up against a huge, mean-looking fish (a shark?) -- one of the last slides in PECOJON International Coordinator Antonia Koop's presentation.

That is what peace journalists are. No longer part of the status quo, they swim against the tide. They are aware that how they report can contribute to the escalation -- or resolution -- of a conflict.

Many times, we have seen media practitioners making mountains out of molehills, or fanning the flames of conflict. It is unfortunate. But now we know that we don't have to sell conflict, pitt A against B, or report things from the same tired old box. Though we've been trained to recognize conflict as one of the things that make news newsworthy, we know that we don't have to highlight it in our reporting.

It won't happen overnight. But one day, maybe peace journalism will become the status quo. And many small fish together will have the power to change things.

+++



I had the opportunity of a brief but educational exchange with Antonia. What she said strongly echoed James Nachtwey's sentiments: It's all about the people most affected by conflict situations.

People caught in conflict situations are very much like small fish in the sea of humanity. Media practitioners often reinforce this. While journalists focus on the powerful, the top brass, the big players, and the celebrities, any reportage that examines ordinary people's lives is lost.

Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel said journalism's first obligation is to the truth. Certainly, to tell the truth means more than just to meet the standards of veracity. I think that philosophically -- and maybe from a human interest perspective -- it means finding an ordinary person's truth and telling it.

So this is how we fulfill another of Kovach's and Rosenstiel's journalism standards: to give voice to the voiceless. When we point our cameras and our voice recorders or microphones to tell their stories, it is a glimmer of hope to them, a possibility that maybe -- just maybe -- they matter after all.

'evoking a sense of humanity'

Yesterday's sessions ended with War Photographer, a film documentary about photojournalist James Nachtwey. I found it to be an eye opener not just for Nachtwey's stunning photos, but more so for his insights about his work. Certainly, covering war is one of the most dangerous things one can do -- yet, Nachtwey seems to have succeeded in capturing heartbreakingly truthful images.

Through it all, he has kept a level head. "The people I photographed were much more important than myself," he said in the film. This explains his success in being "invisible" in his documentation of people living in difficult conditions. He is not a paparazzi but a sensitive storyteller. The photos are not eye candy but they must be seen. In the film, he says of his photography, "We must look at it. We're required to look at it. We're required to do something about it." A long pause, and he continues: "If we don't, who will?"

One might describe Nachtwey as an advocate of the power of photojournalism: "The strength of photography is its ability to evoke a sense of humanity," he said. "If used well, it can be a powerful antidote to war."

Fittingly, Nachtwey has won numerous awards. In this TED talk, he accepts his 2007 TED Prize:

when the word 'press' can kill

Today was the start of Peace and Conflict Journalism 1, a training workshop given by the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network (PECOJON) to media practitioners involved in reporting conflict situations. From today up to 10 March, I will try to blog daily about the workshop.

One of the things PECOJON International Coordinator Antonia Koop talked about briefly, by way of introducing tomorrow's sessions, was the changing media landscape. The above title, borrowed from the Al Jazeera documentary Shooting the Messenger, underscores the shift in attitudes toward the press -- and for that matter, toward their work: Previously, identifying oneself as a member of the press could get you a measure of protection, if not respect, for what you did. Today, it can get you killed -- in places like Gaza, for instances.

But we don't have to go very far to cite other examples. Right here, in the Philippines, three journalists have been killed since the start of 2009.

Antonia left us with these thoughts as the last session for the day ended: With such changes in public perception and treatment, how do journalists adapt?