#RIPRappler Is Not The Death Of #DefendPressFreedom But The Beginning Of Its Liberation From #ProudToBeYellow Captivity

Some idiots would still want Filipinos to believe that they must defend CRappler to defend press freedom. That's so absurd considering that for three decades and a few years - the Philippines has always been under the power of the Dilawan Media. Want news? Most of what you get are muddled in selective outrage such as ABiaS-CBN, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star and CRappler is no different. This #BlackFridayForPressFreedom, we don't even see it dead. CRappler is still out there and they are allowed to exercise their freedom of speech. Better yet, freedom to be epal. 

Get Real Philippines has this to say about the dangers of equating the fight for CRappler's rights to resume is a dangerous idea:

Maria Ressa is, in short, solely at fault for the troubles Rappler suffers today. But rather than take accountability for her executive lapse in judgement, Ressa has instead chosen the path of, wasting even more of Filipinos’ time and attention span. As I had written some time ago, the Philippine Opposition already suffers from a glaring lack of strategic direction thanks to all the rabbit holes the screeching lot of the Liberal Party stalwarts that presume to lead it have led it down. The whole notion that “fighting for Rappler” equates to “fighting for press freedom” is another such rabbit hole the Opposition have stuck their pointed heads into thanks to their Yellowtard leaders.

To begin with, Rappler is no different to the other big corporate media organisations that make up the inbred oligopoly that is the Philippines’ media industry. It is no more “independent” of the influence of the powers-that-be than any of the others. The way certain “activists” are fashioning Rappler into God’s Gift to Philippine Press Freedom, it is as if this “freedom” all emanates from Maria Ressa. This is evidence that Yellowtard “activists” don’t actually understand the real essence of free speech.

The truth is, no one person or media entity is truly “unbiased”. Everyone has a bias — even (shockingly) Maria Ressa herself! It takes a vibrant ecosystem of biased people articulating, exchanging, and, most important of all, debating views for a “free market of ideas” to produce a balanced collective thesis. In plain English, this is just the old turn-of-the-century vintage principle of “wisdom of the crowds” (or, going even further back to the mid-1980s political jargon, the so-called “will of the people”). It is on this principle that the idea that “democracy” progressively yields the best results for the majority is founded. The Darwinian dynamic of said “free market of ideas” kills weak ideas and propagates strong ideas. Or so the thinking goes.

Do I claim to be completely unbiased? I don't. I still have my biases here and there. I still don't like this and that and I have my right. The problem is that Ressa herself should have known better than to let her biases get a hold of her running a news organization. She shouldn't be withholding facts or inducing sensationalism if she's a news network. It's not even independent considering that it sides too much with the Liberal Party. It's also one of the many bulldogs of the Yellowtards in their quest for power. News reporting and sharing one's views are different. I can go ahead and say that Americanized versions of Japanese shows suck but I have to defend my stand. Unfortunately, Ressa may have not been able to defend her stand.

The death of CRappler means this - the beginning of the end of the mainstream media's captivity by the Dilawan Captivity. How long has it been since the Dilawans have overly glorified the Aquinos and always demonized enemies of the Aquinos? It's stupid to talk about Marcos Years censorship with only Marcos-approved media when the only thing running after that is Aquino-approved media. It's stupid to criticize Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.'s censorship policies if one supports the Dilawans who are no different in that area. 

Come to think of it - CRappler's loss of influence is also a result of Filipinos who have been awakened from their long yellow slumber. It wasn't just a single handed thing. Filipinos for change have been spreading the word and finding out everything wrong with CRappler. It's not the same setting anymore. Even slow Internet connection didn't stop the digital and information age from hitting and molding Filipinos. It may only be a matter of time before more Dilawan networks will be shut down one after the other.