Standing up: An epistemic analysis of the experiences of online harassment of women in journalism in the Philippines

Date of Publication

5-15-2025

Document Type

Bachelor's Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts Major in Philosophy

Subject Categories

Journalism Studies

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Philosophy

Abstract/Summary

The extension of harassment to the digital space has allowed influencers and trolls to amplify targeted attacks against women who are working in Journalism in the Philippines. While the Philippines have existing laws protecting press freedom, journalists are still at risk of getting attacked online and killed in broad daylight. These instances are fueled by remarks coming from high-ranking officials in the national government, echoed through extensive reiterations from influencers and coordinated dissemination of content by trolls. This kind of phenomenon also persisted in the Philippines, specifically during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The Duterte administration’s misogynistic attitude towards the media amplified social media content creators to carry over the same kind of behavior into the content they make that targets women working in journalism. Thus, this leads to the rise of epistemic vices in the perpetrators of online harassment against women. This paper asks what epistemic vices are present in the perpetrators of online harassment of women working in journalism in the Philippines. Following this, there are epistemic vices that can be found in the perpetrators of online harassment that is done against women working in journalism, such as (1) epistemic arrogance, (2) epistemic laziness, and (3) close-mindedness. The discussion covered the experiences of Filipino women who were in the forefront during the silencing of women working in journalism, notably Maria Ressa, Pia Ranada, and other journalists using Jose Medina’s framework on epistemic vices and Karen Frost-Arnold’s framework on online harassment. The paper used an epistemic analysis to arrive at the discoveries of these epistemic vices mentioned above.

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Electronic

Keywords

Women journalists--Philippines; Journalism—Social aspects--Philippines; Cyberbullying--Philippines

Upload Full Text

wf_yes

Embargo Period

5-15-2025

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS