Short vita
Marites Vitug is a renowed Filipino journalist and author. She is Editor-At-Large at Rappler.
Contributions
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In Asia, democracy is tested by coronavirus and China
In Southeast Asia, where democracy has been sliding back in a number of countries, leaders have used the pandemic to boost their authoritarian rule in the name of a state of emergency. They have restricted freedoms, tightened law enforcement, and abused their emergency powers. But citizens are pushing back, a silver lining in these bleak times.
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Southeast Asia uses pandemic and spread of disinformation to restrict press freedom
The health crisis became an excuse to tighten restrictions on news coverage and harass journalists, sending chills to newsrooms in the region. This wave of repression came on top of authorities clamping down on ‘fake news,’ using the supposed spread of disinformation as a justification to attack the press.
