BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR

PRESIDENT Arroyo yesterday renewed calls for the observance of responsible journalism in the country as she chided some media groups for focusing more on "gossipy headlines and inflated circulation numbers."

At the 100th Anniversary of the Philippines Free Press Magazine at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati City, Arroyo also renewed her administration’s commitment to protecting the media and solving cases of media killings.

Arroyo said journalists are very critical in maintaining strong democracy but irresponsible practices would not help in nation building.

"Freedom in the hands of such as those who want the freedom without the responsibility degenerates into a callous license to aspire to little more than gossipy headlines and inflated circulation numbers, no matter what cost must be paid in the debasement of public discourse," she said.

The administration had had its share of clashes with the media like in 2007 when it was accused of cracking down on media critical of its policies. It has sent policemen in media offices. First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo has filed several libel suits against members of the press.

Arroyo is also being blamed for the high number of killed media men since 2001 when she assumed the presidency. Records from the National Union of Journalist of the Philippines showed job-related killings of journalists since 1986 have reached 96, 36 of them under Arroyo’s watch.

"I deplore the killings, be they from Left or Right, against journalists. We will stop at nothing to protect the lives of our nation’s media men and women," she said.

Arroyo the cases of slain broadcasters Dennis Cuesta, Martin Roxas and Bert Sison, were solved after their families cooperated with authorities.

"The cases were solved in an average of nine working days after the perpetration – it only shows that crimes such as these cannot be resolved by the government alone…Task Force 211 and our various law enforcement agencies need the support and cooperation of all stakeholders if we are to end these killings once and for all," she said.