COUNTRIES WITH RIGHT OF REPLY PEACE HAVENS FOR JOURNALISTS

Countries with right of reply law have been found by the Paris-based Reporters Without Border to be "havens for peace" for journalists and the communities to which they are cater.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said a study conducted by the Reporters Without Border, an international organization of working newsmen, showed that democratic countries where there is a right of reply law for media organizations have ranked high in terms of maintaining a healthy working environment and good relations with the people they serve.

Based on the study Germany, Finland and Sweden were within the top 11 of countries dubbed as havens for peace for journalists, Also scoring high in the study were Australia and France (top 20) and Greece and Spain (top 40).

In contrast, the Philippines was ranked 111th in the study. The Philippines has also earned the dubious distinction as the most dangerous country for journalists after Iraq.

Pimentel said rabid opponents of the right-of-reply bill (RORB) in Congress are peddling a lie when they say that there is no country in the world where this legislated right exists.

The veteran parliamentarian said the right of reply is anchored on the proposition that the freedom of free speech, press and expression should be enjoyed not only by the purveyors of news but also by the recipients or listeners of the news.

"If the press accuses or criticizes one person in a public manner through the print or broadcast media, the latter should have the right to defend himself or herself and to state his or her position on the accusation or criticisms also in a public manner," Pimentel said.

He lamented that some detractors, in their bid to disparage the RORB, makes the deceptive claim that the proposal imposes prior censorship or restraint, which is farthest from truth because such malpractice is unconstitutional.

Pimentel said the high incidence of media killings can be partly traced to the failure of journalists, particularly radio commentators, to give the objects of their verbal attacks the opportunity to respond and defend themselves.

As of the latest count by the National Union of Journalists, 65 journalists have been gunned down and slain since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo came to power. Pimentel said he hopes that the figures are not necessarily true because one life expended unnecessarily is one too many.

"The right of reply, once it becomes a law, may reduce the tendency of the trigger-happy to resort to the gun, rather than to the law, to level things up with media critics," he said.

"At the very least, by legally instituting the right of reply, the rules of fair play in societal communications are given emphasis in that the freedom of speech and of the press is not meant to be enjoyed by the media alone but also by the people."

Pimentel said the proposed legislation would lessen court litigation and save money and time for newsmen.

Perhaps, he said it would compel media practitioners to become a little more responsible in the exercise of their profession and thus, more reliable as a source of information.

Stressing that the right of reply is already an accepted public policy, Pimentel pointing out that the Fair Election Law requires the media to give "equal time and equal space" for candidates.

He said if a candidate is attacked by his opponent in one newspaper or broadcast network, the media establishment is duty -bound under this law to give the aggrieved candidate an opportunity to respond and ventilate his side.

Moreover, the Fair Election Law imposes sanctions on those who will violate this law if the aggrieved parties file the proper complaints with the Commission on Elections.

Pimentel also said broadcast networks are mandatorily required under their congressional franchise to allow radio listeners and television viewers to answer back and defend themselves in case they are attacked in their programs. Violations of this rule could warrant the outright revocation of the franchise.