Give One It's Due

“Individuals have a right not to be misrepresented and the public has a right not to be misled.” – Peter Bradley

As human beings, we have the right to express what we feel. In such case, the Right of Reply Bill was proposed.

Section 1 of the proposed law states:

“All persons natural or juridical who are accused directly or indirectly of committing or having committed or of intending to commit any crime or offense defined by law or are criticized by innuendo, suggestion or rumor for any lapse in behavior in public or private life shall have the right to reply to the charges published or printed in newspapers, magazines, newsletters or publications circulated commercially or for free, or to criticisms aired or broadcast over radio, television, websites, or through any electronic device.”

The Right of Reply Bill is simply the right to defend oneself against criticism. If this will be a law, broadcasters, journalists and bloggers who publish an article that would offend someone, are required to air the rebuttal of subject of their criticism. The Right of Reply Bill therefore suggests equality among the people.

KBP President Herman Z. Basbaño said in an interview, the media couldn’t function freely and fully report on public matters if this bill was enacted into a law.

Does Right of Reply Bill violate the freedom of the Press?

According to Senator Aquilino Pimentel, the Bill DOES NOT curtail the freedom of the press. The press can still air whatever they want.

Sen. Pimentel also added that even if the right to reply becomes a law, the press would continue to have the right to offend and there is no prior censorship that is being imposed by the right to reply bill.

Yes, the offended person can write a letter or be interviewed to deny or answer the article in question, but in the end of the day, the editor or whoever’s in-charge still decides whether to air or broadcast the reply. The right to reply shall be the means on answering and clarifying the points on a publication or broadcast and not to take away the press freedom.

If this bill will be enacted, there will be a lot of advantages and changes for the better.

Not only that it is less expensive than in filing a libel case against the offender, it is easier for both parties to resolve certain issues.

The press has the freedom to offend and to air whatever they want. It is fair enough that they should give others the chance to protect themselves from inaccurate articles that malign them, intentionally or not.

Let the passing of this bill be the start of boosting responsible journalism in the country.

“The essence of democracy is its assurance that every human being should so respect himself and should be so respected in his own personality that he should have opportunity equal to that of every other human being to show what he was meant to become.” – Anna Garlin Spencer.