My Cue on News Blackout

Who wouldn’t forget the Manila hostage crisis which had taken the lives of nine individuals who were gruesomely killed by a policeman in that fateful day of September 2010? This has made our country one of the most dangerous places in the world to live in, which is at par to that of war-stricken nations including Iraq and Afghanistan as viewed by some tourists all over the world. This pathetic event had caused much trouble on the part of Philippine government because it cannot directly pointed out on whose going to be punished for the failure negotiation. Our police authorities are pointing fingers to all those who directly and indirectly interfered to the failed negotiation including the media, saying that the media’s live coverage during that deadly hostage-taking incident may have jeopardized the police operation. Then there is a proposed news blackout during a hostage crisis and similar incidence. Let us try to analyze both sides. On one hand, media should have set limitations as to what extent should they cover such as delicate event especially when a life is in danger. I personally believe that media is partly should be blamed for this mess. P/Insp. Mendoza went berserk when he saw his brother on television forcefully drag by police authority for allegedly with the latter’s concealed contact to him, making his brother an accessory of the crime. While the media was putting emphasis on this, nobody had anticipated to the perpetrator’s raged reaction. He counter attacked his captives by firing his guns to the victim’s body. All of them had sustained more than two gun wounds, an indication that he was totally dismal and fury for what he saw on television. On the other side of the coin, the media who are used to covering all kinds of obnoxious events from a war to massacre to pity crimes should not be told as to what kind of material they will be published/broadcast or not worth to be published or broadcasted. This is a curtailment of press freedom. It is our credo that media people has responsibility to deliver reports to all sorts worthy of public interest including to what had happened in manila. The public has the right to know to what is happening to his surroundings and that what media is owed to its public – free yet accurate information. But the question will rise again on what if? Should the media continue to deliver news reports while unfolding a sensitive event such as hostage drama where the perpetrators have access to television? My cue here is not for the government to pass a bill just to legislate with has supposed to be an organization’s internal standards in conducting such kind of an event. It is not necessary because I perceived it as something which government tries to control to the undertakings of the media. It would simply mean that they can impose on what the media has or has not to do. We are not anymore under authoritarian government wherein anything that is reported by the media against government shenanigans is restrained. Media serves as the fourth state in a free government apart from executive, legislative and judiciary governments. Each has specific function and cannot therefore encroach to the work of another. What I specifically would like to share is for each news organization to review its existing guidelines on how to deal with this matter. I want that guidelines not media centric, meaning, to what is only perceived good for the organization but most importantly it should be people-centered and that is, lives should not be compromised in favor to a good lead or exclusive coverage. We have moral obligation to the people to disclose all vital information that affects our well-being but we also have social responsibility to exercise utmost care to sensitive issue. This should always bear in mind to all our journalists.