Defending a beleaguered press

From Freedom Watch, the institutional blog of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility:

CMFR/FFFJ signs MOA with IBP

Does the Philippines have a strong legal framework to defend the press and its autonomy? Can the law provide adequate protection for the press against journalist killings, political harassment such as the 11 libel suits filed by First Gentleman Mike Arroyo against 43 journalists, and to the other threats and attacks? To address this, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) giving legal assistance to slain journalists’ families seeking justice and to journalists harassed for their work.

The MoA was signed by CMFR executive director Melinda Quintos de Jesus and IBP president Jose Vicente Salazar last Dec. 5 at the Filipinas Heritage Library. Limited Protection: Press Freedom and Philippine Law, the book by CMFR on the limitations of press freedom defense in the country was launched on the same day. Also held was a forum bearing a similar

Also introduced in the forum was CMFR’s planned project with the Southeast Asian Press Alliance to administer a program that aims to train lawyers in the region on press freedom defense. CMFR also launched a publication carrying the forum's title.

To read more about the CMFR roundtable discussion, visit the CMFR site. You can also download audio clips of the event's speakers and open forum in the site.