A Canadian Embassy officer lauded the Philippine media on its coverage of human rights issues as the International Human Rights Day was celebrated yesterday.

“We believe that many (Filipino) journalists are trying their best to uphold those rights and we support that,” James Trottier, Political and Economic Relations Counselor of the Canadian Embassy, said of the media's treatment of human rights issues in the country.

Trottier was accompanied Ilongga journalist and Marshall Mcluhan Prize recepient, Ma. Salvacion Espina-Varona in a forum dubbed, “Lives in Conflict: Media and Human Rights” at the University of St. La Salle yesterday.

The Marshall McLuhan Prize is given to journalists who have shown exemplary dedication to their craft, Trottier said.

“Human rights are very important for Canada and we applaud the efforts of Filipino journalists in dealing with human rights issues,” Trottier told the STAR.

He added that it's important that all media practitioners try to continually enforce the fundamental human right to expression, saying that the more coverage of human rights issues, the better.

One of the strengths of his country is a free media and that should be upheld and protected by media practitioners, Trottier said.

Espina-Varona, meanwhile, said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration has made it increasingly difficult for the media to dig deeper into anomalies in the government, particularly by selecting which of her Cabinet members can face Senate inquiries.

“She's violating the public's right to information… those officials are the ones given the power to check the government under the constitution. In effect, she's violating one of democracy's important elements, which is the check and balance,” she added.

Espina-Varona also cited reports done by foreign media groups that cited the Philippines as among the most dangerous countries for journalists and activists.

She said that if Arroyo can get away with suppressing the media and if the public will not move against it, it's possible that the basic human rights can be taken away from Filipinos someday.

Antonia Koop, international coordinator of the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network, on the other hand, said, that journalists still need to focus on the bigger context of the issues they cover.

Koop, who covered the Israel-Palestine conflict, has been conducting capability-building trainings for journalists in South East Asia since 2003.

In her lecture during a recent training in Cagayan de Oro City attended by journalists from around the country, Koop stressed that good journalism must not be event-oriented but must, instead give attention to the processes that give rise to social conflicts.

She added that journalists must try to dig deeper into the reasons behind political and social actions and not just take the statements of politicians or official spokespersons as fact to avoid being used for propaganda.*PP

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