Gender Justice in Focus at 2025 Media Freedom Reception of British Embassy Manila

In a speech at the Media Freedom Reception of British Embassy Manila, Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) President Therese San Diego Torres spoke about the gendered experiences of women journalists, underscoring the urgent need for safety, equity, and support within the media industry. Torres also highlighted the recent collaborations of the British Embassy with AIJC and the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) Philippines in the areas of journalist safety and media freedom.

Yasmin Mapua Tang, Executive Director of Probe Media Foundation Inc., and Emmanuele Marie Parra, Programme Officer for Asia at TrustLaw, Thomson Reuters Foundation, also shared about the launch of their project with the British Embassy, “A Media Practitioner’s Guide to Criminal Defamation in Southeast Asia.”

The British Embassy Manila hosted its annual Media Freedom Reception on May 14, 2025 at the official residence of British Ambassador Laure Beaufils, as part of the month-long commemoration of World Press Freedom Day.

Now on her fourth and final year as ambassador, Ambassador Beaufils warmly welcomed guests from the diplomatic corps, media, civil society, and academic institutions, continuing a tradition she has upheld throughout her tenure. The event served as a platform to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to defending media freedom and protecting journalists, particularly in challenging environments.

Below is a copy of the speech delivered by Torres.

_________________________________________________________________________

Gendered Experiences of Women Journalists

Presented by

Therese San Diego Torres

Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication/International Association of Women in Radio and Television

2025 Media Freedom Reception of the British Embassy Manila

May 14, 2025

Good evening, Your Excellency Ambassador Laure Beaufils, esteemed colleagues from the diplomatic community, the media, and civil society, fellow advocates for media freedom.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on the gendered experiences of women journalists.

Women journalists hold some of the most powerful positions in our democracy: they tell stories that matter, they hold power to account, and they amplify people’s voices. But we know that in the Philippines, as in many parts of the world, this power comes at a cost.

For women in journalism, the daily work of seeking truth and informing the public is too often burdened by subtle yet insidious forms of bias. These microaggressions—the casual sexism, the undermining comments, the assumptions based on gender rather than competence—may chip away at women’s confidence, diminish authority, and undermine their ability to work effectively. These are constant reminders that despite their qualifications and dedication, women are often viewed through a gendered lens first. This reality shapes women’s interactions, influences how expertise is valued, and creates an uneven playing field in the pursuit of information.

In addition to these subtle attacks, there are blatant physical and online forms of intimidation, threats, and abuse against women journalists, as revealed in qualitative research conducted by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication or AIJC in 2021 and the International Association of Women in Radio and Television or IAWRT Philippines in 2021 and 2024, as well as a 2024 exploratory research on the situation of Filipino women journalists conducted by the Asian Center for Journalism (ACFJ) and the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Communication. In the study by ACFJ and Ateneo last year, the results revealed that among the 129 women journalists surveyed, the majority had experienced physical intimidation, threats, or abuse—and only 10% reported not having encountered such attacks. Meanwhile, 74% reported experiencing online intimidation, threats, and abuse.  

The online attacks on women journalists covering the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte is just the most recent example of the vulnerability of women journalists. While reporting on Duterte’s ICC arrest, two women journalists—Mariz Umali and Gretchen Ho—became targets of vicious personal attacks, many of which carried distinctly gendered undertones. The insults focused on their appearance and personal lives rather than the substance of their reporting. This reflects a broader pattern: women journalists, especially in the public eye, often face a level of scrutiny that is uniquely personal, gendered, and abusive.

Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a 26-year-old journalist who has been imprisoned since 2020 on trumped-up terrorism charges for her human rights reporting, is another painful example of how state pressure can silence critical women’s voices.

In AIJC and IAWRT’s qualitative research, we found that women persist and do not stop reporting in the face of attacks, but this does not mean that these experiences do not bring emotional distress and a chilling effect on the media.  

IAWRT Philippines, WeMove of ACFJ, MMSP, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, and AIJC are just a few of the movements and organizations that have organized efforts to address the challenges women journalists face in the country.

Tonight, we recognize the efforts supported by the British Embassy:

1. The Safety Conference for Women Journalists, implemented by IAWRT Philippines earlier this year, 2025, and the
2. Capacity Building for Journalists in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) implemented by AIJC, from 2023 to 2024.

These initiatives create vital spaces for dialogue, discussion, and preparedness through training in physical, digital, and psychosocial safety.

Such efforts also raise participants’ awareness of what threats, intimidation, and abuse look like, as we have found that there are those who struggle to recognize these behaviors—and may even inadvertently contribute to their perpetuation or enable the perpetrators.

Who are these perpetrators? The same people have been identified in the studies by AIJC, IAWRT, and ACFJ and Ateneo mentioned earlier: news sources, government officials, men in uniform, and superiors and colleagues in the media.  

In IAWRT’s most recent study in 2024, we noted that some perpetrators maintain their standing in society despite blatant acts of misconduct or abuse, simply because they are seen as respected figures in their communities—father figures, brother figures. We need to challenge these perceptions and hold individuals accountable, regardless of how they are socially perceived, to ensure that reputation is not used as a shield for abuse.

In IAWRT’s most recent findings from the Safety Conference supported by the British Embassy, one of the most important lessons we learned is that in certain cultural contexts, speaking out about harassment or abuse is not always the way to protect women journalists who have been wronged. In fact, it can do the opposite. There are deeply rooted cultural sensitivities that must be respected—where going public may not only endanger the survivor but also expose their families and even entire clans to shame or retaliation.  

Thus, there is a need for nuanced understanding of local customs and beliefs, a need to become more conscious about how we approach support: to listen first, understand local contexts deeply, and work collaboratively to design interventions that do not unintentionally cause further harm. Protection must be holistic, culturally aware, survivor-centered, and collaborative.

Moreover, the genuine enthusiasm and strong engagement from participants reminded us of the urgent need to invest in the next generation—particularly students and young women journalists, who are often among the most vulnerable. Studies by IAWRT, ACFJ and Ateneo have shown that the youngest women in the newsroom—the newbies—typically experience harassment. For many, it’s almost like a harsh initiation into the job. The conference showed us that when we engage them, when we mentor them, when we listen to them—we lay the groundwork for a more resilient, more inclusive press.

Last month, the Movement for Media Safety Philippines (MMSP) led the drafting of the 2025 Media Electoral Agenda, and one of the 10 points emphasized the need to address gender-based attacks against journalists. According to the agenda, “Holding perpetrators of gender-based attacks will ensure that journalists can freely report without prejudice to their gender.”

Moreover, on behalf of the MMSP, AIJC, IAWRT, and fellow advocates of safety of women journalists, we call for the following:

1. Continue to call for the release of Frenchie Mae Cumpio.
2. Foster media environments that actively champion inclusivity and respect, where the contributions of women journalists are valued, and their voices are amplified without fear of gender-based attacks.
3. Ensure that international and local legal frameworks and diplomatic efforts consider the specific vulnerabilities of women journalists in the context of their work.

Continue supporting and conducting research and engaging in dialogues to better understand these issues and shift attitudes, so that the deeply ingrained belief that abuse is just part of the job—and that it’s normal to turn a blind eye—can be dismantled. This is how we ensure that the next generation of journalists, regardless of gender, won’t have to endure such mistreatment, and that respect becomes the standard, not the exception.

At the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) side event organized by UNESCO in New York in March 2025, AIJC President Therese San Diego Torres discussed  the key recommendations from a multi-sectoral review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Chapter J: Women and the Media. 

The review was part of a consultation meeting attended by Torres at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in January this year. It gathered journalists, media professionals, academics, and civil society representatives who shared insights on the progress made in challenging gender biases within the media landscape and discussed new and emerging obstacles women in media face, informed by research and experiences from around the globe.

The Paris review was conducted three decades after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, which had put forth a comprehensive agenda for advancing gender equality across various sectors, including the media.

At the CSW side event titled “Beijing+30: UNESCO’s Actions for Women and Girls: Achievements and Foresight,” Torres shared that while some significant strides have been made, challenges persist, with new barriers emerging in response to evolving technologies, shifting political landscapes, and the continuing struggle against entrenched social norms.

Torres provided an overview of some of the crosscutting recommendations from the Paris consultation group, as follows:

1. Ensure gender-responsive tech and media governance, while promoting increased participation of women in technology, to create more inclusive and equitable digital and media environments. Policies are needed to prevent bias, discrimination, and online harm.

2. Invest in ethical technology and inclusive media. Continue to hold tech companies accountable, but at the same time, support ethical technology development and ensure that emerging technologies, including AI, are transparent, accountable, and free of bias, with a focus on protecting the rights of women and groups in situations of marginalization and vulnerability.

3. Make funding available for independent, women-led media initiatives and gender-focused research to support evidence-based policies. Funding priorities must also focus on strengthening media and information literacy initiatives to ensure broader public understanding of the vital role of women in media, and the media’s role in society, while empowering individuals to protect and support a free, independent press.

The full list of recommendations from the expert group initiated by UNESCO will be available online soon.

Moderated by Begoña Lasagabaster, Director of the UNESCO Division for Gender Equality, the side event featured a panel of resource persons from various sectors who shared their insights on how UNESCO’s actions have empowered women and girls worldwide.

The full program is linked here.

The Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) held an online public training titled, “Social Media for Government and Nonprofits,” on March 27-28, 2025.

“Understanding how to leverage social media is a fundamental requirement for effective public communication,” said Therese San Diego Torres, president of AIJC. She emphasized the value of learning how to plan and execute social media campaigns ethically and responsibly, to ensure that they can “contribute to transparent and accessible governance.”

The training course, “Social Media for Government and Nonprofits,” is one of the public training programs being offered by AIJC through its Professional Development Program.

The training sought to equip participants to enhance their agency’s social media presence, establish an engaging relationship among their stakeholders, and ensure accuracy and trustworthiness of posts.

There were 15 participants from various government agencies and private companies, such as PhilHealth, the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Philippine Heart Center, the Philippine Publishing House, the Presidential Broadcast Service, the Board of Investments, and the Senate of the Philippines.

Torres added, “A strong grasp of this framework empowers individuals to build trust and foster meaningful engagement with the public.”

Click here to secure your slot in the next run of this AIJC training program.

Information officers of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) offices across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao participated in a media relations training organized by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) on March 3 to 4, 2025 at the SEC Headquarters in Makati City.

The two-day training was designed to equip the participants with essential media relations skills for effective public communication. Key topics covered included understanding the Philippine media landscape, crafting effective press releases, conducting successful media interviews, and managing crisis communications.

Participants took part in interactive workshops, simulations, and presentations.

“The intersection of journalism and media relations has become more dynamic, more challenging, and more exciting than ever… In these times of transformation, we need to ensure effective communication between government agencies such as the SEC and the media, in order to maintain transparency and also foster trust and engagement with the public,” said Therese San Diego Torres, president of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, in her welcome message.

Irish May Lorenzo, a seasoned media relations practitioner and head of MBrand at the Manila Bulletin, served as the resource speaker.

At the end of the program, one participant said, “The training made me more aware of how to handle media. I found the training very helpful because I don’t have prior experience.”

Another participant shared, “[the training was] by far one of the best and most practical workshops I’ve ever attended, given the very competent resource person.”

AIJC is offering another media relations training, open to the public. The two-day online course, titled “Navigating Media Relations: Strategies for Effective Communication,” will be held on May 8 to 9, 2025. To register for the paid training, visit https://aijc.com.ph/shortcourses/navigating-media-relations-strategies-for-effective-communication/.