MIL WK 8

Commission on Diocesan Schools of La Union
SAINT CHRISTOPHER ACADEMY

Central east #1, Bangar La Union
MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY 12
Name: _________________________________________ Date: _________________

Grade and Section: ____________________________ Score:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, AND FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN THE

PHILIPPINES.
WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
The protection of media and information is enshrined in the very constitution of the Philippines speaks
of their importance in building and preserving our democratic way of life. Democracy comes from the Greek
word “demokratia” which means “rule of the people”. In a democracy, the people become the source of power
and legitimacy for government leaders (best demonstrated by the process of election).
Political leaders are held accountable for their words, actions, and decisions as public officials. But the
workings of the government can be complex, and the role of a free and independent press is to closely monitor
the government and constantly keep the people informed. This is why the press is traditionally referred to as the
“fourth state”. Is is the branch of power representing the people. Media act as the people’s watchdogs and
“fiscalizers.” Social media has also given people direct ways to petition the government.
Freedom of Speech
 Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to
articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction.
The right to freedom of expression has been recognized as a human right in the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and international human rights law by the United Nations. A lot of countries
have constitutional law that protects free speech. Terms like free speech, freedom of
speech, and freedom of expression are used interchangeably in political discourse. However, in legal
sense, the freedom of expression includes any activity of seeking, receiving, and imparting information
or ideas, regardless of the medium used.
Freedom of the Press
 Freedom of the press is the right to circulate opinions in print without censorship by the government.
Americans enjoy freedom of the press under the First Amendment to the Constitution, which states:
'Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.'
 It means freedom from interference by the government. It is in the best interest of a democratic
government to have an informed people because ultimately, they are the ones who hold the power.
Freedom of Expression
 Freedom of expression refers to the ability of an individual or group of individuals to express their
beliefs, thoughts, ideas, and emotions about different issues free from government censorship. The First
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of individuals to freedom of religion, speech,
press, petition, and assembly. Some scholars group several of those freedoms under the general term
“freedom of expression.”
Emerging Threats: Post-truth and Alternative Facts.

Currently, Emerging Threats generally share one or more of the following criteria: New Very Critical Risk
vulnerability, with available or easy-to-build exploits. New availability of exploits for an existing high-risk
vulnerability. Alert Logic telemetry showing active attacks against customer base.
Washington-based think tank Freedom House classifies Philippine media as “partly free” and the Internet in
the Philippines as “free”. This puts us among countries where the Internet is not censored but where falsehoods
are deliberately spread online to undermine the public’s ability to make informed decisions
POST THRUTH
The term has moved from being relatively new to being widely understood in the course of a year –
demonstrating its impact on the national and international consciousness. The concept of post-truth has been
simmering for the past decade, but Oxford shows the word spiking in frequency this year in the context of the
Brexit referendum in the UK and the presidential election in the US, and becoming associated overwhelmingly
with a particular noun, in the phrase post-truth politics.
Oxford Dictionaries defines the term “post-truth” as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective
facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” In short, people
can believe whatever they want to believe as long as they feel it is right.
ALTERNATIVE FACTS
Alternative facts have been called many things: falsehoods, untruths, delusions. A fact is something that
actually exists—what we would call “reality” or “truth.” An alternative is one of the choices in a set of given
options; typically the options are opposites of each other. So to talk about alternative facts is to talk about the
opposite of reality (which is delusion), or the opposite of truth (which is untruth).
BASIC JOURNALISTIC PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES
In the absence of government regulation, media organizations and media workers under the principle of self-
regulation. Below are the basic journalistic standards and principles.
1. FAIR AND BALANCED
 This includes attribution and data triangulation. Neutrality does not mean that a journalist is
prohibited from having a personal opinion; rather, it means that th methods used in reporting a news
story must be objective.
2. EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE
 This is defined as the concept that editors should have full authority over the content of the
publication. How completely this is practiced is the topic of many discussions on media., but what is
most important is that editorial independence is a long-standing ideal that media organizations,
practitioners, and owners strive for.
3. PLURALITY AND DIVERSITY
 Media must serve all people regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, language, or culture. Information
must not allow only one or few groups to dominate over the rest.
WORKSHEET 8
MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY
Name: _________________________________________ Date: _________________
Grade and Section: ____________________________ Score:
ACTIVITY 1
Direction: Answer the following questions.
1. Why is freedom of the press important in a democracy? {3 points}
____________________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________.
2. What makes plurality and diversity important as a journalistic principle? ( 3 points)
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______________________________________________________________.
3. Why are libels laws and censorship considered threats to our civil liberties? (3 points)
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____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________.
4. Why is the principle of self-regulation necessary in media? (3 points)

____________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________.
5. What is post-thruth? How is it related to alternative facts? (3 points)

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________.
ACTIVITY 2
With a group, prepare 15 minute presentation analysing the dangers brought about by the emergence of post-
truth and alternative facts. You must tackle at least three recent articles about the topic and include at least 5
sources. On a yellow pad paper, write down your comments on the presentations of the group.
Prepared by: Checked and Noted by:

Jonalyn D. Obina Jennifer B. Galuz
Subject Teacher OIC Principal

MIL WK 8

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Commission on Diocesan Schools of La Union

SAINT CHRISTOPHER ACADEMY

MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY 12

Name: _________________________ Date: _

FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, AND FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN THE

Emerging Threats: Post-truth and Alternative Facts.

4. Why is the principle of self-regulation necessary in media? (3 points)

5. What is post-thruth? How is it related to alternative facts? (3 points)

Prepared by: Checked and Noted by:

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