Commemorating National Press Freedom Day this August 30 reminds us of how the press has helped mold public consciousness. The independent and fearless press is always hand-in-hand with the Philippines’ long history of revolution and activism.

Along this courageous line of journalism are campus and student-led publications, widely considered the freest form of journalism with editorial independence and no shackles of the corporate media’s political economy and ownership.

However, the general public’s perception of the media has shifted. In an age of information disorder and constant demonization and delegitimization of the media, we ask: is the state of Philippine media truly ever free?

Online attacks, physical intimidation and legal warfare are the modern-day weapons killing the voices of truth. Even campus student publications are not spared from these tactics, leading to censorship and fear.

According to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines, 206 cases of campus press freedom violations were recorded from 2023 to 2024. Among the regions with the most number of cases is the National Capital Region, littered with censorship and harassment.

The plight of campus journalism in the regions is no different from the cries of the publications in the premier state university. Violations such as physical hostility, intimidation and online threats are reported as the most prominent issues with the publications in the University of the Philippines Diliman.

“The two landmark events that I can think of in terms of social media [attacks] ay ‘yung noong flood control scandals and then ‘yung Toboso 19 [kung saan] ay sobrang nag-increase din talaga ‘yung amount of red-tagging na narereceive ng Diliman publications,” said Vyan David Abella, outgoing chairperson of UP Solidaridad, the broadest alliance of student publications in the UP System.

Further exacerbating these issues are administrative and financial burdens that plague the day-to-day function of the university’s publications from truly exercising campus press independence. Several publications also grapple with the constant cycle of inactivity and revival due to administrative constraints, lack of support and funds, and dwindling manpower.

 

This National Press Freedom Day, the Union of Journalists of the Philippines – UP stands in awareness that attacks on press freedom at the national level are inseparable from attacks on the campus press. The Union also sheds light on the current state of every student publication in UP Diliman, including their current problems and future goals. 

As long as these challenges exist, the press is never truly free. The burden lies with us to report, to never cower, and to always hold the line.