[OPINION] Thoughts on press freedom, from an ABS-CBN employee

'Is the press really free when media institutions across the globe are being stifled by despots, and media workers are faced with job insecurity in a disease-stricken world?' CourageON StandWithABSCBN DefendPressFreedom

Earlier this year, we found ourselves fighting for press freedom amid the government’s threat to shut down ABS-CBN. Every Friday, from January to February, we donned black or white shirts to protest. We lit candles outside the network’s compound. We held prayer vigils. Journalists, artists, celebrities, progressive groups, and media advocates rallied to send a message to the government: stop gagging the press.

Yesterday was World Press Freedom Day, but is the press really free when media institutions across the globe are being stifled by despots, and media workers are faced with job insecurity in a disease-stricken world? In the provinces, community journalists have it worse. Aside from the smaller pay, the labor conditions are dismal. Some of them have no health insurance and benefits, no bonuses, no transportation allowance, and no promises of regularization. Sometimes when they get too critical, they face harassment or they take a bullet to the head. This has always been the system.

While it amazes me that they can still produce quality output despite the challenges of the new normal, it also saddens me that some media institutions treat media workers less than what they deserve. Media workers are the lifeblood of any network or media institution, and without them, crucial information wouldn’t be accessible to the public. A just and proper compensation even during the pandemic is paramount.

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