In today’s media landscape, press freedom faces a dual threat—political interference and economic precarity.
“Although physical attacks against journalists are the most visible violations of press freedom, economic pressure is also a major, more insidious problem,” said Reporters Without Borders in their recent index report.
Rising precarity
This year, the RSF reported that the economic indicator hit its lowest point in history as the global state of press freedom became “difficult”.
The said index noted on the situation of press freedom in each country or territory through indicators such as political, economic, legislative, and safety. Accordingly, the Philippines jumped from 134th to 116th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
“Guaranteeing freedom, independence, and plurality in today’s media landscape requires stable and transparent financial conditions. Without economic independence, there can be no free press,” RSF said in a statement.
They warned that poor economic conditions in newsrooms often lead to sensational reporting to attract audiences or make journalists vulnerable to the influence of oligarchs and public authorities who seek to exploit them.
“When journalists are impoverished, they no longer have the means to resist the enemies of the press — those who champion disinformation and propaganda,” RSF added.
Such a situation had been observed in the Philippines, where financial insecurity among journalists has contributed to the persistence of corrupt and unethical practices like “envelopmental journalism” or the acceptance of bribes or a payola system to augment income in exchange for favorable news coverage. These practices have deep historical roots dating back to the country’s struggle for national liberation from the colonial regime to the declaration of Martial Law under the dictatorship of Marcos Sr.
In response to these challenges, journalists and advocates are pushing for genuine labor reforms, particularly for the media sector. In the upcoming 2025 elections, the push for the enactment of the Media Workers Welfare Law is proposed to emphasize that the public service nature of media work should not mean free or poorly compensated labor.
“We support the proposals for providing minimum wage and hazard pay for regular media workers, as well as mandatory written contracts and insurance for dangerous assignments for all, including freelancers. We call as well for support for workplace organizing at media outlets to actively participate in newsroom decisions, especially on wages, benefits, and tenure,” it added in the agenda.
These demands were also echoed by many labor groups and advocates during the Workers’ Day protest on May 1, where the calls for P1,200 family living wage and the right to unionize were marched and chanted along the streets in various parts of the country.
A 2021 survey by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) further revealed that the majority could not rely on their work alone to meet their expenses. The research also highlighted the emergence of the ‘gig economy’ and contract-based work in the country’s media sector, where many freelancers were underpaid and lacked professional protection.
Following this survey, the NUJP launched the Filipino Freelance Journalists’ Guild (FFJ) in 2023 to advocate for the professional rights of freelance journalists in the Philippines.
Currently, the FFJ is also conducting a survey to examine the ongoing challenges among Filipino freelance journalists regarding compensation standards and working conditions.
Philippine media: dynamic but under siege
On May 2, or a day before the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day, journalists, rights lawyers, and media watchdogs gathered in the day-long forum and the launch of the Media Legal Defense Network led by the NUJP at the University of the Philippines College of Media and Communication (UP-CMC). The said network aimed to strengthen the defense of journalists against the weaponization of the law against the press.
NUJP has also partnered with different legal organizations and schools, including the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), IDEALS Incorporated, Adamson Legal Aid Clinic and Ateneo Human Rights Center, which pledged their commitment to provide pro bono counsel or legal support to journalists facing legal persecution. Movement Against Disinformation and the Union of Peoples Lawyers in Mindanao also expressed their support for the network.
RSF noted that the Philippine media are extremely dynamic despite the government’s targeted attacks and constant harassment of journalists and media outlets regarded as overly critical, especially since 2016 when Rodrigo Duterte became president.
While the country received a slightly better score in the recent RSF’s press freedom index, the safety of journalists is still worrisome under the Marcos Jr. administration following the continued harassment, red-tagging, cyber-defamation, and killings.
The NUJP recorded 177 total number of press freedom violation cases under the Marcos Jr. administration as of May 1 this year.
Meanwhile, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility has recorded 184 cases of press freedom violations and attacks against the media since Marcos Jr. assumed office in July 2022. These include red-tagging, harassment, threats, cyberattacks, and wrongful arrests. Of the 184 cases, 29 were recorded in 2024 alone.
A 2024 report by the Committee to Protect Journalists has shown a decline in the number of killings perpetrated under the Marcos Jr. administration. However, NUJP emphasized that this should not mislead stakeholders following the continued threats and attacks against the free press and the safety of journalists. In fact, five journalists have been killed since Marcos Jr. took power. They were Rey Blanco (September 18, 2022), Percy Lapid (October 3, 2022), Cresencio Bundoquin (May 30, 2023), Ma. Vilma Rodriguez (October 22, 2024), and Juan “Johnny” Dayang (April 30, 2025).
NUJP stressed that the killings contribute to the climate of fear and impunity, adding that out of 900 journalists killed over a decade, 80% cases remained unresolved, with only 20% of the cases with their perpetrators being brought to the rule of law.
Additionally, the media union reiterated the ongoing harassment and threat to media freedom, including the website blocking of Pinoy Weekly and Bulatlat, continuing legal battle to women journalists Lady Ann Salem, Anne Krueger, and Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who is among the “10 Most Urgent” press freedom cases in 2025 amid charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and another with terrorism financing.
NUJP emphasized that red-tagging and the usage of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) remain the most frequently reported threats to journalists in the country, with 26 incidents documented by the union under the Marcos Jr. administration.
A study from Amnesty International further showed that red-tagging not only inflicted a psychological toll on young human rights defenders but also resulted in a collective chilling effect on activist groups.
Aside from Cumpio, Deo Montesclaros is the second journalist in the Philippines to be accused under the ATA.
Media organizations and press freedom advocates were among those who questioned the constitutionality of such laws. As part of the Media Electoral Agenda 2025, the groups demand to uphold clear policy against red-tagging, abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and repealing of ATA and other repressive laws.
Two UN experts, Ian Fry, Special Rapporteur on climate change and human rights, and Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, have backed these calls and shared recommendations to establish mechanisms for the protection of journalists and human rights defenders.
“It’s true that for journalists, the best way to fight these things is through our reporting, but we’ve seen in recent years that reporting alone isn’t enough. We have to go beyond the story, and we need action. And if we’re talking about advocacies and campaigns, we can’t do it without partners. In case attacks and injustices happen, we need someone we can turn to,” said Jonathan de Santos, NUJP chairman, during the network launch.
To culminate the gathering, media groups and student journalists held a symbolic candlelighting protest at UP CMC Dap-ay to call for justice for imprisoned and slain journalists and echo their commitment to promoting press freedom, especially in the upcoming 2025 elections.
“We call on fellow media workers to continue discussing workplace conditions — which include wages, job security as well as safety — organize for mutual aid and a stronger voice in the newsroom, and to join campaigns on these issues. While our jobs require us to observe objectivity, our existence as media workers and as citizens just as equally demand that we take part in the conversations and actions that shape our working environment and our society. We call on the public to support the profession and the media sector in various ways. An independent press requires a supportive community,” said NUJP in a statement.
