THE Senate committee on public information and mass media, chaired by Senator Grace Poe, has approved a measure that would protect journalists, not only in print but also in broadcast and online media, from revealing their sources.
Poe’s committee agreed to support legislative measures seeking to amend Republic Act No 53, or the so-called Sotto Law, that protects print journalists from revealing their sources and expand it to include broadcast and online media practitioners.
The measures—Senate Bill Nos. 6 and 486 filed separately by Senators Vicente Sotto III and Antonio Trillanes IV—breezed through a public hearing presided over by Poe on Wednesday, as she assured a committee report and the consolidated bill will be presented to the floor in two weeks.
Both measures sought to amend the law, originally enacted in 1946 on the sponsorship of Sotto’s grandfather Senator Vicente Sotto Sr., to expand its coverage by including the broadcast and online media.
Poe said the proposed bills seek to protect broadcast, radio, and online journalists from divulging their sources, except for certain instances.
“This bill to protect the sources of media is timely. What is stated in the law in 1946 only covers print. Now, we have radio, television, and even internet or online sources,” Poe said.
“Especially nowadays when so much is happening in the country. We only want to protect those who give information to media so they won’t be afraid, especially if what they are about to divulge would aid testimony or legislation,” she added.
“The existing law is silent about journalists from broadcast stations and online media since e-journalism was then a pipe dream when RA 53 and its amendatory law, RA 1477 of 1956, were enacted. It is high time that lawmakers update the 70-year-old law amid developments in the practice of the profession and in the spirit of the constitutional provision of upholding the freedom of the press,” said Poe.
“First and last (hearing), it was approved right away,” Poe told reporters after the hearing, noting that all resource persons present were in agreement that it was high time to amend the 70-year-old law, Republic Act 53 known as “An Act to Exempt the Publisher, Editor or Reporter of Any Publication from Revealing the Source of Published News or Information Obtained in Confidence.”
Government representatives led by state counsel Charles Cambaliza and Assistant Secretary John Henry Naga of the Department of Information and Communications Technology also backed the measures.
Poe hoped that the amendatory bill will be passed during the Senate’s centenary.
Sotto, for his part, thanked Poe for “prioritizing” his measure in memory of his grandfather who pushed for journalists’ privilege statute and considered the legislation “very important” during the time.
The senator said proposing revisions to the old law goes hand-in-hand with the Poe-sponsored proposed Freedom of Information Law being which is already at an advanced stage in the Senate, as the media play a critical role in dissemination of information.
“Press freedom is regarded as the backbone of democracy. The role that the Fourth Estate plays as watchdog of the government is important in establishing a healthy democracy and accomplishing a system of checks and balances,” Poe said.
Meanwhile, Sotto, in an interview, said many were not aware that the broadcast media such as TV and radio, are still not covered by the law.
Sotto said RA 53 was confined to newspaper writers as there were no television sets yet in 1946 when the law was passed.
“So this time, we’re covering the entire spectrum of news and journalism. We will just be very careful on the issue of social media, there should be legitimate social media practitioners and to be considered legitimate, you must be a registered company,” he said.
“But if you’re simply a blogger and you lambaste someone or make things up, you’re not covered. You probably are covered by the Freedom of Expression but that’s about it. If government asks you who your source is, you have to reveal your source,” he said.