Name___________________________________ Score ____________ Finals

DIASS 12
MODULE 1 Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities of
Communication Practitioners

Rights of Communicators
As with counseling and social work, professionals and practitioners of communicator are also provide rights and privileges
in the practice of their profession.
Constitutional Guarantee
The 1987 Constitution guarantees press freedom. In Article III, Section 4, it states that “No law shall be passed abridging
the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press or the right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition the government
for redress of grievances.
Article III, Section 7, on the other hand, grants the public access to information- including the government research data
and official records- subject to the limitations prescribed by the law. This provision is supported by Article II, Section 8, which
states that “subject to reasonable conditions prescribed by the law, the State adopts and implements a policy of full public disclosure
of all its transactions involving public interest.” The importance of communication to Filipinos is underlines in the same article in
Section 24, which states that the “the State recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation building.”
All of these provisions highlight the State’s commitment in safeguarding not just the communication professional and journalists’
right to free expression, but the Filipinos as a whole.
Code of Ethics
As one of the most powerful institutions in the country, the field of communication wields a strong influence in the cultural
and political life in the country. This necessitates that communication practitioners and professionals be ethical in dealing with
information, particularly for those working in mass media.
According to Teodoro (2012), “Ethical behavior in journalism shouldn’t require written rules, only a basic sense of
decency. Just the same, however, journalists, media and media advocacy groups all over the world have found it necessary to
commit those rules to paper and online for the edification of those who practice journalism without being familiar with its standards
and values, as well its rules.”
One such written ode is the Philippine Journalists’ Code of Ethics which provides that a journalist should:
 Scrupulously report and interpret news;
 Not violate confidential information given during the practice of his profession;
 Use fair and honest methods in acquiring news and photographs and/ or documents;
 Refrain from writing reports that would tarnish a private reputation unless public interest justifies it;
 Fight for public access to information;
 Keep personal motives or interests from influencing the performance of his duties;
 Not accept or offer anything that may cast doubts on his professional integrity;
 Not plagiarize;
 Not, in any manner, ridicule, falsely accuse, or degrade any person based on his sex, creed, religious belief, political
conviction, and cultural and ethnic origin;
 Presume persons accused of crime of being innocent unless proven otherwise;
 Exercise caution in publishing names of minors and women involved in criminal cases;
 Not take advantage of a fellow journalist;
 Only accept tasks that are compatible with the integrity and dignity of the journalistic profession; and
 Conduct himself in a manner as to maintain the dignity of his profession.
To summarize, the Philippine Journalists’ Code of Ethics, promotes the values of accuracy, confidentiality, fairness,
privacy, moral honesty, intellectual honesty, tolerance, justice, courtesy, dignity, and decency in the ethical practice of the
journalist’s profession.
Accountabilities of Communication Practitioners
The freedom to communicate, as protected by the law, is not without its limitations. There are six main limitation to press
freedom. These are libel, anti-obscenity law, and invasion of privacy laws, law on national security, contempt of court, and
copyright law.
Libel. Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code defines libel as a “public and malicious imputation of a crime, or of a vice or
defect, real, or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status, or circumstance, tending to cause the dishonor, discredit, or
contempt of a natural or juridical person, or to blacken the memory of one who is dead.”
According to Article 355 of RPC, libel is “committed by means of writing, printing, lithography, engraving, radio,
phonograph, painting, theatrical exhibition, cinematographic exhibition, or any similar means.
A practitioner who defames verbally, on the other hand may be charged with slander. With the passage of the Cybercrime
Law 2012, defamation committed online has also become punishable by law.
 DIASS page 2 Finals
Right to privacy. The Constitution, which protects the people’s right to free expression, also guarantees the people’s right to
privacy. In the Bill of Rights, Section 3, it states that “the privacy of communication and correspondence shall be inviolable except
upon lawful order of the court, or when public safety or order requires otherwise as prescribed by the law.” This right is also
provided for in the Civil Code, which states that “every person shall respect the dignity, personality, privacy, and peace of mind for
his neighbors and other persons.” A practitioner’s right to free expression, thereof, does not allow him to disclose the private affairs
of an individual that may cause that individual harassment or affect his relations with other people negatively.
Anti-obscenity. Article 201 of the RPC prohibits practitioners from proliferating immoral doctrines, obscene publications
and exhibitions, and indecent shows to safeguard public morals, especially those of youth.
Copyright law. The law also prohibits practitioners from committing copyright infringement. This is to protect intellectual
property, such as books, periodicals, materials prepared for oral delivery (lectures), compositions, works of art, and photographs.
Laws on national security. Communication practitioners are prohibited from inciting people to sedition or rebellion against
the State. A practitioner commits sedition when he:

 Incites others to rebellion;

 Defames the government or any of its constituted authorities;
 Disturbs or obstruct a lawful officer from performing his duties;
 Instigates others to conspire and together for unlawful purposes; and
 Suggests or incites rebellious conspiracies or riots.
Contempt of court. Communication practitioners are liable to judicial contempt when they “directly or indirectly impede,
obstruct, or degrade the administration of justice”. This happens when their material:
 Clearly shows tendency to impede the administration of justice;
 Is directed toward the court and is not a report of fair comment upon an action before the court; and
 It takes place while the case is pending has not been decided.
Overall, it can be concluded that a communicator’s right to free expression ends when it violates the rights of others.

FT1. Classify of what limitation to press freedom is stated in each number.

1. incites others to rebellion - ________________________________________________________________________________
2. clearly shows a tendency to impede the administration of justice - _________________________________________________
3. published false statement - ________________________________________________________________________________
4. showing obscene exhibitions - _____________________________________________________________________________
5. defamation committed online - _____________________________________________________________________________
6. no search warrant represented before having the search in your own private property - _________________________________
7. disturbs a lawful officer from performing his duties - ___________________________________________________________
8. suggests conspiracies or riots - _____________________________________________________________________________
9. disobedience of public authority - ___________________________________________________________________________
10. crime against the state - __________________________________________________________________________________
FT2. Identify whether the communication practitioner in each situation is being ethical or not. Further, discuss the limitation it
overpass.
1. A reporter refuses to reveal the identity of his source in a controversial issue despite public clamor.
2. A news correspondent given his fellow reporters a false lead to gain an exclusive.
3. A journalist receives money from a news source with the assurance that it carries no obligation whatsoever.
4. A public relations officer denies the harmful side effects of his client company’s latest product to protect its reputation.
5. A journalist publishes that name of a rape victim, who is also minor.
6. A photojournalist publishes the picture of a pair of lovers in Luneta Park for their paper’s Valentine’s special.
7. A campaign manager makes a jingle which pokes fun of his client’s competitors.
8. A press release write quotes a famous personality in the speech he is making for the congressman.
9. A news anchor endorses the whitening product she uses during a news report on substandard beauty products.
10. A news correspondent reveals the name of his source in a court trial.
FT3. Provide what is being asked.
1. In what instances are our press freedom being oppressed? Provide five (5).
2. In what sections of the Bill of Rights in the 1987 constitution supports the vital roles of communication and information in
nation-building?
3. Why is it important for communication practitioners to be ethical communicators? Cite a situation that will illustrate the
importance of ethical communication in mass media.
4. Search for the consequences (imprisonment/monetary fines) for the following limitations (cases):
a. Libel
b. writ of habeas data
c. copyright infringement
d. sedition
e. judicial contempt
END