Filipino Journalists at Risk: Who and Where Are They (An Analysis of the Killing of Filipino Mediamen)

Dates of Implementation/Duration: April 2012 to April 2013

Partner Institution: UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines

Objectives:

• To provide a deeper, evidence-based evaluation of the demographic, temporal, and geographic aspects of the killing of journalists in the Philippines by expanding the categories and the explanatory framework used to analyze their cases
• To provide alternative insights with respect to the Philippines’ level of press freedom as well as the origin and manner in which the term “culture of impunity” has been used to describe and explain the unremitting slaying of Filipino journalists.

Project Description:

The research project, which was undertaken by young scholars from the Philippine Geographical Society in cooperation with the Philippine Social Science Council, identified patterns regarding demographic characteristics of slain journalists from 1986 to 2012, the temporal circumstances behind their deaths, and the geographical context of where these crimes occurred. The project also produced  Geographic  Information  System (GIS)-generated  maps that will aid in better understanding the nature of these media-related killings. Finally, the research provided an alternative perspective on how press freedom is viewed and offered a better understanding of the culture of impunity commonly associated with the deaths of Filipino media men.