The Philippines has revoked the registration of an influential online media group known for its tough coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, in a move the company and its supporters decried as an attack on press freedom.
The country’s Securities and Exchange Commission said Rappler, a digital start-up launched in 2012, had violated restrictions on foreign ownership of the media because the Omidyar Network, a fund created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, was an investor. The ruling was dated January 11 and emailed to reporters on Monday.
Rappler has been both a frequent critic and target of Mr Duterte, who in his state of the union address last year claimed the company was “fully owned by Americans”.