Monthly Archives: September 2013

EVERYTIME Cebu media celebrates Press Freedom Week, I always feel something is missing in the ritual. No, that something is often mentioned indirectly or in passing, but it has not been given the importance it deserves. I am referring to the word responsibility. Or why not make it Cebu Press Freedom and Responsibility Week?

I was a staff member of our student publication in college during the waning years of the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. By waning years I mean the early 80s. I also got friendly with some media people then, particularly in Visayan Herald (which has long ceased operation), and worked part-time in dyLA. I, therefore, know what media is like during a period of repression.

Press freedom was genuinely the problem at that time, although the struggles that we participated in paved the way for the expansion of the democratic space that was constricted when Marcos declared Martial Law on Sept. 21, 1972. The toppling of the dictatorship by the 1986 Edsa uprising and Corazon Aquinos assumption of the presidency widened that space further.

Since then, press freedom has not been much of a problem. While a president or two post-Marcos did attempt to dictate their terms on the media by either filing nuisance libel cases against some media people and even encouraging a boycott by advertisers of recalcitrant media outlets, these never made a dent on the kind of freedom already in place.

Instead, we are seeing many instances of irresponsibility in the practice of the media profession. And the problem is, most media organizations and media leaders only grudgingly acknowledge this for two reasons: one, because of the mistaken notion that advancing the cause of press freedom is more important than pushing for a more responsible media and two, because of the worry of destroying the camaraderie among peers.

Dont get me wrong. I am not for the intervention of outside forces, like the government, in running of the affairs of media. That would be damaging to the cause of press freedom paid for in blood, sweat and tears by sectors who struggled for the acquisition of the democratic space we are now enjoying. What I am asking is a more vigorous push for media responsibility.

When I was younger, I idolized many media practitioners, most of them on radio. While many of these practitioners were most probably not saints as persons, but they brought public discourse of issues to a higher level. Because they were well-informed and well-prepared, their resort to the use of insults and personal attacks were minimal. And even the hurling of insults and personal attacks werent vulgar and crass.

I am not trying to be holier-than-thou. I admit to being shallow in my columns at times and of being too passionate in defending my views. But being vulgar and crass is not in my resume.

Again, I consider the push for media responsibility more important in the current period than advancing press freedom. Or to put it in another way, the threats to press freedom do not come from extraneous forces but within ourselves.

By the way, I agree with the criticism hurled at Sen. Jinggoy Estrada for pushing a magna carta for journalists. It is an attempt by government to interfere in the affairs of media and is a threat to press freedom. But the push to professionalize the media profession should also make us ponder. Is it a recognition that we have been remiss in this regard?

Read more:
Wenceslao: Press freedom: my take

Software Freedom Day celebrates 10th year in Christchurch

Ever wanted to set up your own Facebook, build a personal digital video recorder or make a video DVD? These are a few of the topics to be covered at the 10th annual Software Freedom Day on the 21st of September.

Software Freedom Days have traditionally been about giving away CDs and installing software. "We'll still be doing that, but we will also be giving demonstrations of free software for business, education and community organisations" one of the organisers, Don Robertson, said.

"Over the last ten years, free software - all software - has become much more stable and easier to use. Well, less hard, but even my mother was able to go from OS X to GNU/Linux without any problems. So we want to focus on showing how much high quality free software is available, and on some wider issues - getting technology to poorer communities, privacy and data security, patents and creative freedom, open formats ... and dispelling some myths. Free software is not copy-right violation or stealing, you don't need to join the communist party to use it. The Greens, Labour and Act's web sites all run on Free Software. National also uses Free Software components. Things like that."

While much of the software can be installed and distributed at no cost, that's not the most important meaning of the word 'free'. "Free means you are able to use the software any way you want, to change it if you want, and to share it with anyone. It means you can use it to build other software. It means free as in Liberty".

Modern software is often built up with parts - like putting Lego blocks together. "If you have to make licensing deals for every block ... that stifles innovation, it stops people putting things together in new ways".

Free Open Source Software (FOSS) is often called Free Libre Open Source Software, or FLOSS, to emphasise this distinction. "I tried to use Libre Open Source Software, but it didn't really work" says Robertson.

The Free Software movement is bound up with the Open Standards, Open Data and Open content movements. "We're seeing a growth in all these areas", says Robertson. "Some companies are notorious for using formats no one else can use. Once you use their software, you can't switch to anything else". Some companies even make new versions of their software incompatible with old versions, forcing upgrades.

Academic publishing has also come under pressure to be more open. "The public fund a lot of research, but often cannot afford to read the results. The academic journals hold the copy-right". The UK and USA are legislating to require that government funded research is published with Open Access. "Open Source Software - such as the Public Knowledge Project's software - makes this easy to do".

Largely due to the diligence and hard work of Rik Tindall, the events co-ordinator, this is Christchurch's tenth Software Freedom Day. "We will be the first of over 270 Free Software Day events around the world" says Don Robertson, "and Christchurch will be the only centre in New Zealand that has celebrated all Software Freedom Days"

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Software Freedom Day celebrates 10th year in Christchurch