FCCT calls on Philippines govt to protect two Reuters reporters

The FCCT, which banners itself as the largest and oldest press club in Southeast Asia, called on the Philip-pine government to discourage the president’s die-hard supporters from threatening journalists and to swiftly act to protect the latter from attacks.

“The professional membership of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand is disturbed to learn of a social media campaign of vilification against two journalists working for the Reuters news agency in the Philippines… Journalists should be allowed to do their jobs without being subjected to hate campaigns and incitements to attack them, on social media or anywhere else,” the FCCT said in a statement.

Reuters reporters Karen Lema and Manuel Mogato became the subjects of memes, their photos included, which tagged them as “the real culprits behind the fuss” over Duterte’s controversial remarks that drew parallels between Adolf Hitler’s killing of Jews and the bloody war on drugs.

The FCCT noted that critical |criticism of a journalist’s work was different from actually shooting the messenger.

-  PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

ASIA NEWS NETWORK