Daniel Pearl’s law BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 05/23/2010

Daniel Pearl’s law

BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 05/23/2010 The United States government and President Obama should be praised to high heavens by members of the Fourth Estate the world over for the passage of a law that would require the State Department to prioritize the monitoring of press freedom violations and to call the attention of the respective governments that condone or turn a blind eye to such transgressions. By enacting the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act of 2009, it is obvious that Washington DC wants to impress on other governments that it is keeping close tabs on developments that could have a pernicious effect on the interest and well-being of working journalists. “Oftentimes, without this kind of attention, countries and governments feel that they can operate against the press with impunity. And we want to send a message that they can’t,” Obama was quoted in a Philippine Star report as saying. The new US law is sure to impact greatly in the Philippines which international media watchdogs have ranked as the “most dangerous place” for media practitioners after such places as Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia and Russia. And lest the people forget, today, we will be marking the six-month anniversary of the gruesome Maguindanao massacre wherein 57 innocent civilians (including 32 mediamen) were killed by armed goons identified with the Ampatuan clan in election-related violence..... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100523com5.html

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