The effort in the Philippines to ban online media outlet Rappler has sounded further alarm bells across a region that is already dogged by increasing censorship and a growing intolerance of criticism or dissent.
Rappler had grown in stature in recent years, particularly with its reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte and his policies, including the headline-grabbing war on drugs, which has claimed thousands of lives.
Duterte’s government and the National Press Club of the Philippines have justified the move against Rappler by arguing the website was foreign funded. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, this violated constitutional restrictions on the media.
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