The Listening Post

The challenges of journalism in Duterte’s Philippines

On the streets with Manila’s ‘night crawlers; plus, an in-depth interview with Rappler’s Marites Vitug.

On The Listening Post this week: More than 7,000 people have died since President Rodrigo Duterte took office almost eight months ago and ordered an unprecedented crime war that has drawn global criticism for alleged human rights abuses.

As most polls show Filipinos are in support of Duterte’s “war on drugs“; they oppose a culture of impunity.

The president’s campaign to eradicate drugs has been a big news story that has spawned the careers of Manila’s “night crawlers” – photographers covering the “war on drugs”. 

Al Jazeera also interviews Marites Vitug, the editor-at-large of online news site Rappler, on the current state of the news media in the Philippines.

Contributors:

Vincent Go, photojournalist, UCANEWS Philippines

Inday Espina-Varona, former chair, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)

John Nery, editor, Inquirer

George Moya, freelance journalist

Oscar Albayalde, police chief, Philippines National Police