NUJP website hacked by 'enemies of press freedom, free expression'

MANILA, Philippines — A denial of service attack has kept the website of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines offline since Monday night.

"We do not know by whom but this we can say – whoever are responsible for this attack are enemies of press freedom and of free expression," the group said in a statement on its Facebook page.

"They are vermin, narrow-minded, misbegotten souls who mistakenly believe that they can silence critical speech and thought in their desire to force people into accepting only one worldview – theirs," the group, which has condemned media killings and the online harassment of journalists in the past, said.

The mainstream media has been accused by some supporters President Rodrigo Duterte of being biased against him and his administration and this is not the first time that journalists and journalists' groups have been hit online. 

Last December, the Facebook profile of Reuters correspondent Manny Mogato was hacked and used to send messages supportive of President Rodrigo Duterte. The hacker also changed his profile picture and cover photo to images proclaiming "Duterte is my president."

Mogato and Reuters colleague Karen Lerma had earlier in the year been the target of online comments over a story on Duterte's remarks on comparisons between him and German dictator Adolf Hitler that some critics of his administration have made.

Last July, the website of the Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism was also hacked after it published reports on the government's war on drugs and a series on citizens' rights.

Last June, the Facebook page of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines was taken down over user complaints after the group posted a statement critical of Duterte's stand on journalist killings in the Philippines. The government has since formed a task force to look into media killings.

NUJP condemned most of these attacks on journalists.

The group said Monday that the hacking to "silence critical speech and thought" will not succeed.

"The independent Philippine press, the independent Filipino journalists, and the freedom-loving Filipino people will make sure of this, as we have done in the past and as we will do so again and again whenever basic rights and liberties are assaulted," it said.