MANILA: A Philippine journalist has been shot dead while driving in the country’s capital, police said on Tuesday, prompting condemnation from media groups and activists, who described his assassination as a blow to press freedom.
Radio journalist Percival Mabasa, 63, was killed by two assailants at the gate of a residential compound in the Las Pinas area of Manila on Monday night, police said.
“That the incident took place in Metro Manila indicates how brazen the perpetrators were, and how authorities have failed to protect journalists as well as ordinary citizens from harm,” said the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.
The national police vowed to bring justice over the attack. The government had no immediate comment.
It followed the fatal stabbing last month of radio journalist Rey Blanco in central Philippines.
At least 187 have been killed in the past 35 years in the Philippines, according to international watchdog Reporters Without Borders, including 32 killed in a single incident in 2009.
Mabasa’s family called his killing a “deplorable crime” and demanded “his cowardly assassins be brought to justice.”
Rights group Karapatan described him as “one of the country’s fiercest truth-tellers.”
Videos on Mabasa’s YouTube channel, which has 216,000 subscribers, showed he had been critical of the previous president and some policies and officials in incumbent Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration.
“We are not discounting the possibility that the shooting could be related to the victim’s work in media,” local police chief Jaime Santos said in a statement.
Philippine media groups demand protection after journalist’s murder
https://arab.news/p4ab9
Philippine media groups demand protection after journalist’s murder
- Radio journalist Percival Mabasa killed by two assailants on Monday night
Saudi Media Forum expects large rollout of speakers, panels ahead of 5th edition
- More than 300 participants expected to discuss issues, challenges facing sector
- Leading platform for media exchange will explore ways to keep pace with a rapidly changing world
RIYADH: The fifth edition of the Saudi Media Forum due to kick off in early February is expected to attract more than 300 participants across hundreds of panels.
The forum aims to explore the future of media in a rapidly transforming world, reflecting the dynamic cultural and developmental landscape of the Saudi Arabia.
High-level editors, reporters, and speakers include Karen Elliott House, former executive editor of The Wall Street Journal; Julie Pace, executive editor and senior vice president of the Associated Press; and Ben Smith, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the global news platform Semafor.
The forum is a leading Saudi platform for media exchange and cooperation, fostering capacity building, stimulating innovation, and building bridges of communication locally and globally.
The fifth edition reaffirms the forum’s status as a pivotal event in the year of media transformation, bringing together the most prominent media figures to discuss the issues and challenges facing the sector, and ways to keep pace with a rapidly changing world.
The forum includes the Future of Media Exhibition, which will bring together government entities and private companies, both local and international, under one roof. Exhibitor pavilions will showcase the latest products and contributions in media, radio, and television. These pavilions, alongside the dedicated presentation platform, provide an opportunity for participants to share their innovations and specialized services with visitors.
The exhibition’s main stage will offer comprehensive insights into the media sector through panel discussions, dialogues, and workshops featuring local and international speakers, while also providing opportunities for signing cooperation agreements and partnerships.
