If y’all are wondering why I (and countless others in news and media) am afraid of what the US’s growing animosity toward journalists is leading to, do a quick google search of journalism in the Philippines. If you’re too lazy to do that, here’s a quick thread:

Since he took office, Filipino President Duterte has been calling journalists “scum,” “spies,” and “lowlifes.” He is on tape saying his plan is to “kill journalists” and threatening the lives of media professionals.

Salvador Panelo, President Duterte’s spokesperson, said in an interview with the New York Times that President Trump is “quoting” Duterte when he talks about “fake news.”

In May, the Filipino government disbanded ABS-CBN, a trusted Filipino TV news station that occasionally “angered” Duterte. Countless other news stations (print, TV, and digital) have seen similar cease and desist orders from the government.

In turn, Duterte’s administration has embraced more “trustworthy” news outlets OWNED by the government. All their sources are government. All their “reporters” are government. All other sources are “libelous” and “untrustworthy.”

Journalist Maria Ressa is facing up to six years in jail for a 2012 article posted on her digital news site, Rappler. She’s been charged with cyber-libel, a “policy” that didn’t exist until four months after the artice’s original publication.

The article talked about a major player in Duterte’s not-so-secret drug war. The court ruled a small revision to the article in 2014 “republished” the article, thereby giving the government grounds to press charges against Ressa and another writer at Rappler.

The judge who declared Ressa guilty of cyber-libel said that “freedom of the press is no defense against libel.”

For context, the Filipino Constitution has a freedom of the press statement nearly identical to the US’s.

Ressa’s site, Rappler, has also been charged with at least a dozen other offenses, like tax evasion, although its records are squeaky clean.

Rappler is the rule, not the exception. Most news organizations that stand in opposition to Duterte’s government risk facing charges.

“Mysterious disappearances” or “untimely deaths” of dissenting journalists are common. Ressa has reportedly been surrounded by a small but growing team of private bodyguards. She’s not the only journalist taking extra care.

TL;DR The Philippines’ power-hungry President began fearing what journalists would uncover about him heading into reelection season, so he silences them. One by one.

We are only steps away from the Philippines. We need to reassess the way we view the media.