09/08/2025
STATEMENT | ARBITRARY DELETION IS CENSORSHIP
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines denounces the deletion of Bulatlat's Instagram account, supposedly for violating community standards on fraud and deception as censorship.
According to Bulatlat, the restriction and eventual deletion was prompted by content on Siargao locals fighting back against Zionism on the commercialized and gentrified island.
Meta has said the decision can no longer be appealed.
While community standards are in place to protect users from actual threats like fraud, these should not be used to censor legitimate news from legitimate and long-established sources of information.
With the deluge of content on social media, outlets like Bulatlat provide critical reportage and commentary on issues that are often underreported in for-profit media.
The loss of a channel for Bulatlat's content is a loss for critical viewpoints and for discourse on human rights, self-determination, and people's issues.
