Pricing the Truth

Pursuing journalism is a calling, not until you’re starved, threatened, and killed in the name of the truth. Recently, another Filipino journalist was slain less than a week before the World Press Freedom Day. 

Juan “Johnny” Dayang, a former mayor and a veteran journalist from Kalibo, Aklan was shot dead while watching television on April 29. Dayang’s death adds to the tally of more than 200 media practitioners killed since 1986. In 2023, the Philippines ranked 8th in the 2023 Global Impunity Index released by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The list presents the top 12 countries where the murderers of journalists roam free, including the faces of the slain journalists—Percival Mabasa, from the Philippines.

Journalism has always been a deadly field, yet it remains one of the country's most exploited professions. Media practitioners have been immune to underpayment and contractualization. If in pursuit of justice and truth comes enduring labor exploitation, threats, imprisonment or worse—getting killed, should the truth still remain priceless?

Thrown out to the field as if they are sacrificial lambs, exposed to intermittent danger in pursuit of finding out the truth. While journalism might be a noble profession that believes the truth should be priceless—as it should not succumb to any forms of bribery, the information-gathering process says otherwise. To fit pieces of a puzzle means getting terrorized, intimidated, silenced, or even watching a loved one die. All for a profession that pays inconsiderably, simply because it takes “endurance” to become a journalist. 

According to a 2021 survey by the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), 44% revealed that they receive a monthly salary of P15,000 and below. Meanwhile, 15% of the respondents, who are mostly province-based, admitted that they receive a monthly wage of P5,000 and below. Half of the respondents have revealed that they are not entitled to holiday pay, hazard pay, and insurance for out-of-town or dangerous assignments. In terms of overtime, 55% of the respondents revealed they are yet to be paid. 

A libel-magnet profession, yet is incapable of having the means to conquer legal battles. In another study commissioned by NUJP, it was also revealed that 61% of the local politicians led in filing criminal cases of libel and cyberlibel against the journalists in the country, 15.4% were from private individuals, while 12.8% were by government offices. On the other hand, 7.7% were filed by the police officers and 2.6% were filed by the religious groups. As the enemies of journalism maneuver the law to get even, and as the system continues to strangle them—journalists are left with no choice but to either endure in vain or quit their jobs for good.

Isn’t it ironic that media practitioners call for #PressFreedom when they are stuck in an exploitative system that does not amplify their plight and leaves them in the middle of the battlefield? Labor exploitation in journalism is a silent killer of genuine reporting in the country. If fresh graduates who would’ve wanted to serve the public get turned off by the unsustainable wage journalism offers, that is where the suppression of press freedom begins. 

If a veteran journalist who has made significant contributions in the field chooses to turn his back to opt for a job that pays sufficiently to raise a family, journalism loses a part of its framework. Economic conditions can silently kill journalists too. Dismissing the calls for a humane-compensation by conditioning them to pursue a “calling” or “passion” equates to tolerating subtle suppression of press freedom.

While it can be understood that some companies are incapable of providing better salaries to journalists because they are not sponsored by anyone and they uphold independence, the small wage shouldn’t be standardized and romanticized. The notion that journalism pays low should end because most companies are capable of paying higher but they just choose not to do so because journalism has always been notorious for low salaries, and nobody will question them if they do not pay appropriately. Journalists who settle for unsustainable compensation shouldn’t be romanticized either, as these are the same people who will eventually change careers if economic pressure becomes worse. 

It is often shown on television how journalists report on laborers fighting against exploitation and their calls for decent pay. What goes overlooked all throughout these years are those who feature these people—who are also experiencing labor injustice often left unhighlighted because media companies choose to shift the attention away from them. It’s about time we hold these media companies accountable and highlight how depriving and inhumane their systems have always been. 

To the people, a genuine press freedom isn’t just about reporting without being threatened or censored. It is also about ensuring that journalists are paid appropriately, protected, and freed from worries about their future. Amplify the calls concerning labor exploitation against journalists—as these are the same people who walk with the masses, make the people’s grievances known. and help in calling out for justice. 

To the government, work on laws that will secure the safety of journalists. Decriminalize libel and ensure that they have benefits to count on as they risk their lives like the other professions who go to war. It is unjust that journalists are prone to getting killed or incarcerated when they are not even well-compensated. In promoting press freedom, the government should take the lead by considering the journalists’ well-being. 

Pricing the truth. Contrary to the notion often imposed, the truth is not free. It is about time we put a price on the efforts exerted by the truth-tellers in seeking justice. Threats, struggles, or even death cannot be free—because obtaining the truth will always be expensive.

Article: Danielle Barredo

Cartoon: Kaiser Aaron Caya