[NEWS] Leading Philippine Broadcaster, Target of Duterte’s Ire, Forced Off the Air

A few days after we celebrated #WorldPressFreedomDay

A leading media network in the Philippines was forced off the air on Tuesday, making it the first major broadcaster to have met such a fate during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, which is cracking down on news outlets that have been critical of his leadership. ABS-CBN said that it would comply with the cease-and-desist order. “Millions of Filipinos will lose their source of news and entertainment when ABS-CBN is ordered to go off the air on TV and radio tonight when people need crucial and timely information as the nation deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The move to shut down ABS-CBN’s broadcasts was met with criticism from industry groups and human rights activists who called it an attack on press freedom. “The move is clearly a case of political harassment against a pillar of Philippine democracy that employs thousands of Filipinos whose livelihoods are now at risk with the order,” the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines said.

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