FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF TOURISM AND HOTEL MANAGEMENT

A Summative Assessment Paper Presented to the

Faculty of the Institute Of Tourism and Hotel Management
Far Eastern University, Manila

In Partial fulfilment of the course

GED0114 –APPLIED ETHICS IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES

Submitted by:

Sapian, Catherine Florence L.

Submitted to:

Monton, Jade

Date of Submission
December 12, 2020
I. Title
“Taste of Freedom: Views and Opinions”

II. Name

Sapian, Catherine Florence L.

SEC – 23 2019101141

III. Keywords (at least 5)

- Media
- Freedom Press
- Freedom Expression
- Responsibility
- Cease and Desist

IV. Introduction and Background

The role of media press is to disseminate information on what’s happening around the
world. It has become people’s daily dose of knowledge regarding what’s the latest occurrence in
a certain place at a certain time. As most people know, media platform covers a wide range of
zone and it spreads rapidly. They have people’s trust and support. However, with modern times
comes more problems and some people use these platforms to spread factitious information.
Freedom of press can be useful only when press is fully aware of its responsibilities and duties.
Every freedom has its discipline and without this discipline then it could lead to lose of
credibility of a journalist and network.

Over the succeeding years, media platform is huge. It has massive amount views that
people rely on. On the contrary, the media have a great responsibility to every citizen that the
news they convey should be accurate. One of the biggest networks in the Philippines, ABS-CBN,
was ordered to shut all of their operations after the National Telecommunications Commission
(NTC) issued a cease and desist, the report has greatly affected the netizens as it’s one of the
biggest networks in the Philippines. Immediately, questions have been circulating around if this
is an attack on press freedom.
 According to Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch states that
the decision of the congress for shutting down the network a “grievous assault on press
freedom”. Given that the president stated on April 17, that he would block the network’s
franchise renewal for not airing one of his campaign ads way back 2016. As a result, journalists
are being silenced for exposing the injustices and corruption the Philippines has experienced.
This clearly proves that the power of government over the freedom press is bigger than
expressing what is morally just.

V. Research Question

 What is the role of political liberty and how do people perceive the limits in freedom of
media?

VI. Argument Strategy and Paper Structure

In this paper, I will give a background on the chosen topic and will briefly state all the
needed information for the topic to be fully understood. I will also provide factual information
and provide evidences that will make the reader understand on why I have decided to stand on
the claim. In this matter, it is efficient to provide evidences that’s been burning issue in the
Philippine thus it will help the reader to be enlightened and gain insights on what is happening.
This will allow and enable the reader to have different perception and views on the said topic.

Media is the dominant source of information, it has influenced and made people to keep
updated every time. Ordering one of the biggest networks to fully stop operating shows how the
higher ups could easily silence people. Freedom of expression enables people to know that their
voice matters. It will make them feel reassured despite all of the chaos that is happening in the
country. The voice of the people will be their gateway in expressing all hatred and anger towards
the unjust treatment of the government.

VII. Argument

PREMISE 1: Free press informs the public from the latest happenings across the world. It is
unjust to forced closed an establishment for the reason. Silencing people will never be lawfully
and morally right.
PREMISE 2: Mass media holds a great amount of information that enables people to voice out
their opinion and has become a gateway to express their viewpoint on a certain issue. Red
tagging people just because they are opposed on what the person is fighting will never be right.

CONCLUSION:

In this paper, I argued that free press informs the mass from the latest happening.
Everyone has the right to express freely. Freedom of expression is a human basic right and it’s a
right of an individual. In circumstances where freedom of expression is not respected the media
have to choose between filtering reports or putting themselves at risk and provide authentic news
to the mass. Therefore, the views and opinions of every citizens must be at liberty. No one has
the right to dictate what should the masses do especially journalists unless the information they
disseminate is not upright.

VIII. References

Philippine Congress officially shuts down leading broadcaster. (2020, July 10). The New York

Times - Breaking News, World News &

Multimedia. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/world/asia/philippines-congress-

media-duterte-abs-cbn.html

Press freedom and the democratic peace - Douglas A. Van belle, 1997. (2016, July 1). SAGE

Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022343397034004003

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (2020, June 1). Welcome to the United

Nations. https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/