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Newsounds Broadcasting Network vs. Dy

NEWSOUNDS BROADCASTING NETWORK INC. and CONSOLIDATED BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC., Petitioners,

G.R. No. 170270 | 2009-04-02

Republic of the Philippines
SUPREME COURT
Manila
 
SECOND DIVISION
 
D E C I S I O N

Tinga, J.:

Whenever the force of government or any of its political subdivisions bears upon to close down a private broadcasting station, the issue of free speech infringement cannot be minimized, no matter the legal justifications offered for the closure. In many respects, the present petitions offer a textbook example of how the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech, expression and of the press may be unlawfully compromised. Tragically, the lower courts involved in this case failed to recognize or assert the fundamental dimensions, and it is...