ABS-CBN STATEMENT ON RIGHT OF REPLY BILL

(Sharing the stand of ABS-CBN on the topic of Right of Reply Bill)

ABS-CBN STATEMENT ON RIGHT OF REPLY BILL - June 4, 2009

We have long said this bill is unconstitutional because it is a form of prior restraint and a violation of the freedom of the press. It dictates content and is an indirect form of censorship.

Beyond the legal issues, however, the bill is incomplete, chaotic, impossible to implement and a throwback to an authoritarian past at a time when the rest of the world is embracing the changes and greater openness brought about by technology and new media.

Lawmakers are assuming two things: 1) that the government has the technical competence, organizational ability and integrity to implement it - and 2) that media organizations can continue to operate under a law like this. Both are impossible and unrealistic. It puts journalists under the control of legislators, many of whom have neither the training nor the objectivity to regulate our society's free press. The bill stipulates penalties for up to 6 violations and gives lawmakers and media groups 90 days from its passage to come up with implementing guidelines. This shows a lack of understanding of the editorial judgement, the systems and processes of news organizations, which can often handle as many as 300 stories in one day.

What's clear is that passing this bill into law only exposes the vested interests of lawmakers, many of whom wouldn't be where they are without a free press. In weak democracies like the Philippines, the public needs an independent, self-regulated media to hold the government accountable to the people.

MARIA RESSA
Senior Vice President, News and Current Affairs Division
ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation