Category: Media

“Press freedom” was killed by Filipino LAZINESS and not by the Philippine government

January 21, 2018January 21, 2018 benign0 20 Comments

The so-called “Black Friday Defend Press Freedom” rally organised to re-package Rappler‘s corporate compliance issue into a “press freedom” issue turned out to be a mere fart in the wind. The rally, held at a Quezon City roundabout commemorating boy scouts who died in a plane crash, did not attract enough participants to fill even…

Media, Politics, Society

Jover Laurio and her former call centre employer may have violated Australian privacy laws

January 20, 2018July 6, 2018 benign0 11 Comments

According to the latest Western media feature, “popular” Filipino blogger Jover Laurio worked for an Australian call centre before her rise to “fame” as blogger and “thought leader” of the Philippine Opposition. This is particularly relevant to me as Laurio had some time ago used information she had somehow obtained about my private residence and…

Media, Politics

The Real Threats to Press Freedom in the Philippines

January 20, 2018January 20, 2018 ChinoF 6 Comments

With the revoking of Rappler’s license to operate as a business, “opposition” were hopping mad about it being a dictatorship move and suppression of freedom of speech. But those are not what happened. What happened is that one of the real threats to press freedom and freedom of expression was brought to account. I’m not…

Media

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa is a FAKE VICTIM because she is a crime SUSPECT

January 19, 2018 benign0 14 Comments

It would seem, indeed, that Rappler was “targetted” by the Philippine government when it was singled out for shut down through action channeled via the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on charges of accepting foreign funds in exchange for some degree of control. Some “journalists” have incorporated that notion into the “assault on free speech”…

Crime, Media

Rappler supporters use their foreign media allies to exploit Filipino colonial mentality

January 18, 2018January 18, 2018 benign0 4 Comments

As the outrage fad surrounding the shuttering of Rappler by the Philippines’ Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) rages on, we have so far observed a couple of things: (1) CEO Maria Ressa has been attempting to spin this as a “press freedom” issue to distract the public from her failures as CEO and (2) the…

Media

Duterte overthrown by a revolt led by Rappler CEO Maria Ressa: a scenario analysis

January 18, 2018 benign0 7 Comments

Though difficult to tell for sure, the Opposition led by the Liberal Party (the Yellowtards) gained some measure of success in spinning what was primarily a citation of lapses in corporate compliance on the part of “social news network” Rappler into an issue of “press freedom”. Led by its embattled CEO Maria Ressa, the Yellowtards…

Media, Politics

The notion that “fighting for Rappler” equals “fighting for press freedom” is stupid and DANGEROUS

January 17, 2018January 17, 2018 benign0 7 Comments

The game is up for Maria Ressa. As CEO of embattled “social news network” Rappler, she should have been on top of her company’s risk exposure to the business environment — including the regulatory framework in the country within which her business operates. She and her cheering squad used the argument that the Securities and…

Media, Society

Rappler writers are not chained to Rappler – they are FREE to write and express ELSEWHERE

January 17, 2018February 20, 2018 benign0 2 Comments

As I mentioned in my previous article, “press freedom” is the only defense Rappler and its cheerleaders have been issuing since it got its knuckles rapped for offenses against the constitutional bar on foreign ownership of media businesses in the Philippines. But is “press freedom” really under threat? It is if the people who make…

Media