Article Sidebar

Submitted
April 12, 2024
Accepted
November 27, 2024
Published
November 30, 2024
Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 123 Download : 73

Main Article Content

Abstract

Following Miranda & Camponez (2019), media regulation or accountability in the Philippines has evolved from mandated/professional in 1965, to mandated/shared, to voluntary/professional in the late 1980s, and to voluntary/shared in the early 2000s. Today, the Philippine Press Institute is leading a multisectoral effort to establish community-based media-citizen councils outside Manila, signifying a shift from the national to local. Applying key informant interviews to collect the empirical data, this study has interviewed the Media-Citizen Council officers and members through face-to-face interviews or Zoom meetings. This study found that these media-citizen councils are local in nature. They were established in the different regions of the country to address media-related issues and complaints within their media companies and communities in their specific regions. These councils are also expanding their scope from traditional newspapers to include the broadcast and the emerging social media, and extending membership to locally-relevant stakeholders. 

Keywords

media self-regulation media accountability press council media-citizen council alternative dispute resolution

Article Details

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Mia Embalzado Mateo, Gary Marinao, Janvic Mateo, Ariel Cervantes Sebellino

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Author Biographies

Mia Embalzado Mateo, University of the Philippines Cebu, Philippines

Assistant Professor of the College of Communication, Art, and Design at the University of the Philippines Cebu

Gary Marinao, De La Salle University, Philippines

Assistant professorial lecturer at De La Salle University

Janvic Mateo, University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines

Instructor at the Department of Journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman

Ariel Cervantes Sebellino , Philippine Press Institute, Philippines

Executive Director of and a Trustee at the Philippine Press Institute

How to Cite
Mateo, M., Mariano, G., Mateo, J., & Sebellino, A. (2024). From National to Local: Media-citizen Councils as Independent Co-regulation at the Community Level. Asian Journal of Media and Communication, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.20885/asjmc.vol8.iss1.art4
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

References

  1. Accountable Journalism. (n.d.). Philippines press councils. https://accountablejournalism.org/press-councils/Philippines
  2. Akpabio, E., & Mosanako, S. (2018) Failure of media self-regulation? Documenting stakeholders’ attitude to the Botswana Media Complaints/Appeals Committees. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 6, 144-157. https://doi.org/:10.4236/jss.2018.62013.
  3. Arnaldo, C. A (1992). The impact of the Philippine Press Institute on news media and journalists: An assessment. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000094154
  4. Barrett, J. T., and Barrett, J. P. (2004). A history of alternative dispute resolution: The story of a political, cultural and social movement. Jossey-Bass.
  5. Bates, S. (2021). Reluctant to criticize: Media, academia, and the press council without a home. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 98(2), 547-565. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699020908038
  6. Bengco, R. (2011, October). The Philippine Press Council: Surviving the challenges. https://reginabengco.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/the-philippine-press-council-surviving-the-challenges/
  7. Berger, G. (2011). Best practice in media self-regulation: A three-way test to avoid selective borrowing and ad-hoc transplants. Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies, 32(2), 36-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/02560054.2011.578876
  8. Bertrand, C. J. (1978). Press councils around the world: Unraveling a definitional dilemma. Journalism Quarterly, 55(2), 241-250. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769907805500203
  9. Bertrand, C. J. (N.d). M*A*S: Media accountability systems. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/b/a/24858.pdf
  10. Bertrand, C. J. (2000). Media ethics and accountability systems. Transaction Publishers.
  11. Boeyink, D. (1994). Public understanding, professional ethics, and the news. Federal Communications Law Journal, 47(1), 41-46. HeinOnline.
  12. Breiner, J. (2020). Independent media defend against populist government attacks. IJNet. https://ijnet.org/en/story/independent-media-defend-against-populist-government-attacks
  13. Buan, L. (2019). LIST: Cases vs Maria Ressa, Rappler directors, staff since 2018. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/223968-list-cases-filed-against-maria-ressa-rappler-reporters/
  14. Campbell, A. J. (1999). Self-Regulation and the media. Federal Communications Law Journal, 51(3), Article 11. https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/fclj/vol51/iss3/11
  15. Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility. (2022). PH Impunity and Government’s Denial: Unnecessary response to the killing of journalists and other HRVs. https://cmfr-phil.org/press-freedom-protection/press-freedom/ph-impunity-and-governments-denial-unnecessary-response-to-the-killing-of-journalists-and-other-hrvs/
  16. Cepeda, M. (2020). House committee rejects franchise for ABS-CBN. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/265771-house-committee-rejects-franchise-abs-cbn/
  17. Center for Law and Democracy. (2021, December). Myanmar Press Council: Legitimacy requires independence. https://www.law-democracy.org/live/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MPC-Note.Dec21.final_.pdf
  18. Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility. (2008). Philippine press freedom report 2008. https://cmfr-phil.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/press-freedom-report-2008.pdf
  19. Cohen-Almagor, R. (2005). The press council. Israel Affairs, 11(2), 445-461. https://doi.org/10.1080/1353712042000326551
  20. Commission on Human Rights. (2022, December 21). Statement of the Commission on Human Rights on the cyber libel conviction of journalist Frank Cimatu, and Senate Bill No. 1593, decriminalizing libel. https://chr.gov.ph/statement-of-the-commission-on-human-rights-on-the-cyber-libel-conviction-of-journalist-frank-cimatu-and-senate-bill-no-1593-decriminalizing-libel/
  21. Chua, Y. T. (2020). Digital News Report - Philippines (Overview). https://www.digitalnewsreport.org/survey/2020/philippines-2020/
  22. Eberwein, T., Fengler, S., and Karmasin, M. (2019). “Theory and practice of media accountability in Europe.” In Eberwein, T., Fengler, S., and Karmasin, M. (Eds.), Media accountability in the era of post-truth politics: European challenges and perspectives (pp. 1-17). Routledge.
  23. Fengler, S. et al. (2015). How effective is media self- regulation? Results from a comparative survey of European journalists. European Journal of Communication 2015, Vol. 30(3) 249–266. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0267323114561009
  24. Fernandez, D. (2022). Anti-fake news bill filed in Senate. Inquirer.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1668684/anti-fake-news-bill-filed-in-senate
  25. Fernandez, D. G. (1989). The Philippine press system: 1811-1989. Philippine Studies, 37(3), 317-344. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42633609
  26. Fielden, L. (2012). Regulating the press: A comparative study of international press councils. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. University of Oxford. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2017-11/Regulating%20the%20Press.pdf
  27. Finkelstein, R. and Tiffen, R. (2015). When does press-self regulation work? Melbourne University Law Review, 38(3), 944-967. https://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1587024/383FinkelsteinandTiffen2.pdf
  28. Florentino-Hofileña, C. (2010, December). Keeping best practices in journalism alive. Asia-Pacific Media Educator, 20(17), 183-188. https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1324&context=apme
  29. Forbes, A., and Mariano, G. (Forthcoming). Censorship and the emperor’s fake clothes: Media repression in the Philippines from Marcos to Duterte. In Andersen, R., Higdon, N., and Macek S. (Eds.), Censorship, digital media and the global crackdown on freedom of expression. Peter Lang. Google Docs.
  30. Gilson, G. (1999). On resistance to press councils. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 4(1), 5-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1081180X99004001002
  31. Gore, W., and Horgan, J. (2010). Practice review: Maintaining freedom with responsibility. Journalism Practice, 4(4), 523-532. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512781003658416
  32. Hermanson, L. W. (1993). News council complainants: Who are they and what do they want? Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 70(4), 947-970. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769909307000419
  33. Hermanson, L. W. (1993). The Minnesota News Council: The story behind the creation. Oral History Review, 21(1), 23-47. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3675044
  34. Hermanson, L. W. (1990). News councils as alternative dispute resolution. Dissertation. University of Minnesota.
  35. Kam, R. T. (2005). Mediator and advocate: The history of the Honolulu community-media council. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Hawaii.
  36. Kleinsteuber, H. J. (2004). The Internet between regulation and governance. In Self-regulation, co-regulation, state regulation. Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/2/a/13844.pdf
  37. LaMay, C. L. (2003). Media criticism. In Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications, volume 3 (pp. 123-141). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-387670-2/00181-3
  38. Latzer, M., Just, N., and Saurwein, F. (2013). Self- and co-regulation: Evidence, legitimacy and governance choice. In Price, M. E., Verhulst, S. G., and Morgan, L. (Eds.), Routledge handbook of media law (pp. 373-398).
  39. Lee, S. (2021). Effectiveness of media regulation in Botswana, International Journal of Applied Sociology, 11(1), 21-31. http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.ijas.20211101.03.html
  40. Matthews, M. N. (1996). How public ownership affects publisher autonomy. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 73(2), 342-353. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769909607300206
  41. McQuail, D. (2007). Media, Regulation of. In The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, G. Ritzer (Ed.). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405165518.wbeosm069
  42. Merrill, J. C., Gade, P. J., and Blevens, F. R. (2001). Press councils and ombudspersons. In Twilight of press freedom: The rise of people’s journalism, (p. 177).
  43. Miranda, J., and Camponez, M. (2019). “European models of journalism regulation: A comparative classification.” In Eberwein, T., Fengler, S., and Karmasin, M. (Eds.), Media accountability in the era of post-truth politics: European challenges and perspectives (pp. 19-35). Routledge.
  44. Mîrza, R. (2021). Regulation and Self-Regulation: Two Pieces of the Puzzle for a Healthy Media Landscape in Moldova. Policy Brief. Freedom House https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/MEDIA-M-No%2015-Regulation-and-Self-Regulation.pdf
  45. Mhiripiri, N. A. (2013). Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in the Zimbabwean media industry and the debate on self-regulation. Journal of African Media Studies, 5(3), 313-336. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams.5.3.313_1
  46. Muchena, E., Shoriwa, T., and Mugadzikwa, M. (2017). Taking stock of media self-regulation in Zimbabwe: The case of the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ). IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 22(11), 43-48. https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss
  47. Negreira-Rey, M. C., Vazquez-Herrero, J., and Lopez-Garcia, X. (2022). Blurring boundaries between journalists and Tiktokers: Journalistic role performance on TikTok. Media and Communication, 10(1), https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v10i1.4699
  48. Ning, Y. M. (2006). The first five years of the Hong Kong Press Council: A case study of the desirability and feasibility of media self-regulation. Media Asia, 33(1–2), 13-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/01296612.2006.11726806
  49. Olea, R. (2021). Lawfare as a weapon of intimidation against the Philippine media. National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. https://nujp.org/lawfare-as-a-weapon-of-intimidation-against-the-philippine-media/
  50. Oon Ee Seng. (1996). The role of press councils and journalists unions. Media Asia, 23(3), 134-137. DOI: 10.1080/01296612.1996.11726502
  51. Pangue, J. (2020). Media and lawfare: Journalists ‘woke up to a storm’ under Duterte administration. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/moveph/252414-media-lawfare-journalists-under-attack-duterte-administration/
  52. Peterson, T. (1984). The social responsibility theory of the press. In Siebert, F. S. Schramm, W. L., and Peterson, T. (Eds.), The four theories of the press, 73-104. University of Illinois Press.
  53. Philippine Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists. (2019). Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, and International Media Support. https://www.mediasupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/PPASJ-final-pdf.pdf
  54. Philippine Press Institute. (n.d.) Philippine Press Council bylaws.
  55. Presidential Decree No. 36. Official Gazette (1972). https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1972/11/02/presidential-decree-no-36-s-1972/
  56. Presidential Decree No. 191. Official Gazette (1973).
  57. Presidential Decree No. 191. (1973, May 11). Creating the Media Advisory Council. Malacañang. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1973/05/11/presidential-decree-no-191-s-1973/
  58. Presidential Decree No. 576. Official Gazette (1974). https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1974/11/09/presidential-decree-no-576-s-1974/
  59. Presidential Decree No. 1784. Official Gazette (1981). https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1981/01/15/presidential-decree-no-1784-s-1981/
  60. Rampal, K. R. (1981). The concept of the press council. International Communication Gazette, 28(2), 91–103. https://doi.org/10.1177/001654928102800202
  61. Reid, J. (2014). Third-party complaints in the system of press regulation: Inviting the reader to take part in journalistic accountability and securing press freedom. African Journalism Studies, 35(2), 58-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/02560054.2014.919943
  62. Republic Act. No. 4363. An Act to Further Amend Article 360 of the Revised Penal Code. Supreme Court e-Library. (1965). https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/2/6814
  63. Ritter, J. A., and Leibowitz, M. (1974, December), Press councils: The answer to our First-Amendment dilemma. Duke Law Journal, 1974(5), 845-870. https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/dlj/vol23/iss5/1
  64. Rogers, E. M., and Chaffee, S. H. (1994). Communication and journalism from “daddy” Bleyer to Wilbur Schramm: A palimpsest. Journalism Monographs, (148), 1. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/communication-journalism-daddy-bleyer-wilbur/docview/215675334/se-2
  65. Rosario-Braid, F., and Tuazon, R. (2000). Post-EDSA communication media. Philippine Studies, 48(1), 3-25. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42634351
  66. Sebellino, A. (2023, June 1). Who cares about a council, anyway? Google Docs.
  67. Southeast Asian Press Councils Network. (Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste). https://seapcnet.wordpress.com
  68. Suddes, T. (2009). The National News Council: 1973-1984: A history. [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. ProQuest
  69. Tabada, M. T. A. Q. (2019). Media self-regulation through media literacy: Insights from the Cebu-Citizens Press Council. Plaridel, 16(1), 103-140. https://www.plarideljournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019-01e-Tabada.pdf
  70. Thomass, B., Marrazzo, F., Meier, W. A., Ramsay, G., and Blach-Ørsten, M. (2022). Media accountability: A cross-country comparison of content monitoring instruments and institutionalized mechanisms to control news media performance. In Trappel, J., and Tomaz, T. (Eds.), Success and failure in news media performance: Comparative analysis in the Media for Democracy Monitor 2021, (pp. 231–252). Nordicom, University of Gothenburg. https://doi.org/10.48335/9789188855589-11
  71. Ugland, E. F., and Breslin, J. (2000). Minnesota News Council: Principles, precedent, and moral authority. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 15(4), 232-247. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327728JMME1504_3
  72. Weibull, L., and Börjesson, B. (1992). The Swedish media accountability system: A research perspective. European Journal of Communication, 72, 121-139. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323192007001006
  73. Valmonte, K. (2022). Censorship of sites for alleged communist ties 'deeply concerning', rights groups say. Philstar.com https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/06/22/2190184/censorship-sites-alleged-communist-ties-deeply-concerning-rights-groups-say
  74. Villadolid, A. C. (1989, August 1). Notice of Readers’ Advocates meeting as the Press Council.
  75. Zlatev, O. (2008) The Press Council: The Archetype of Self-Regulatory Body. In The Media Self-Regulation Guidebook: All Questions and Answers (Edited by Adeline Hulin and Jon Smith). Vienna: OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. Retrieved from: https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/1/d/31497.pdf