The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has expressed concern about the proposal of the incoming administration to allow vloggers to cover the future briefings of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
"Democratizing access to government by way of vloggers is commendable in principle, but must be viewed in the context that the vloggers who may likely benefit from this access would be the pro-Marcos vloggers, as was the case during the campaign," the NUJP said in a statement.
"Wider access is good, but must not be at the expense of institutional media, which has been sidelined during the campaign as false information spread rapidly online, many of which have been traced to the same network."
The statement came after incoming Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) chief Trixie Cruz-Angeles said they are pushing for the accreditation of vloggers to be invited to Marcos' future press briefings.
According to the NUJP, the proposal raises questions on independence and accountability for the access of vloggers.
It questioned if the PCOO will be accountable for the content that vloggers might release in the future.
"Would vlogger access be dependent on whether the content is favorable to the incoming administration or not?" it asked.
"The NUJP remains wary of this concept and will be vigilant of any policy that may lead to discrediting the media," it added.
"We are standing on the side of caution as we continue to defend the shrinking space we have in covering the president-elect."
Meanwhile, the Malacañang Press Corps, or the reporters accredited to cover the Office of the President and its attached agencies, said that it will defer in making any comments until more details of the proposed policy are released.
