Media group urges ‘self-examination’ after hostage crisis

A media group has called on members of the media to examine how they have covered the bloody hostage-taking incident in Manila last Monday that resulted to the death of eight hostages, all of them tourists from Hong Kong. “We call on colleagues in the media to seriously and comprehensively examine how we covered the crisis and if our coverage in any way contributed to the tragic end of the hostage-taking," the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said in a statement issued Wednesday. The statement came following criticisms leveled against the media for allegedly contributing to the aggravation of Monday’s incident. The hostage-taker, dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, who was killed by policemen in an assault, reportedly became agitated after seeing on TV how his brother was being arrested for allegedly meddling with the negotiation. Violations The NUJP said while it is the responsibility of the media to cover and report on important events, guidelines for covering crisis situations, including hostage-takings, have been repeatedly violated by some journalists. “Some colleagues clearly violated ethical standards and established procedures and guidelines in covering crisis situations including hostage-taking incidents," the group said. It reminded journalists and media organizations to strictly follow the procedures prescribed by media institutions and scholars in covering crisis situations. “We urge news organizations to abide by these guidelines and to ensure that those it assigns to cover these crisis situations are adequately trained and informed," the statement read. The NUJP said Monday’s incident highlighted the need for more trainings and education for journalists to ensure that they “do more good than harm" in their performance of their duties. “We also encourage media owners, leaders and organizations to meet and agree on a set of protocols for the industry to guide us during similar situations," the statement added. Govt responsibility The group nevertheless fell short of saying that the media was partly to blame for the violent conclusion to Monday’s incident. “The Philippine government and the Philippine National Police have already acknowledged errors and shortcoming in responding to and addressing the incident. We believe that they were primarily responsible for supposedly controlling the situation, ending the crisis and ensuring the safety of the hostages," the NUJP said. The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMF) and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) earlier said media networks should not have made a blow-by-blow report of the 11-hour hostage crisis. No to news blackout In the same statement, the NUJP said it is against a House bill filed by Cebu Rep. Luis Quisumbing seeking to impose a news blackout during hostage crisis situations. “We oppose House Bill 2737 filed by Cebu Rep. Luis Quisumbing and similar measures aimed at imposing a media blackout during crisis situations. Legislated restrictions on media coverage are more dangerous and could pave the way for abuses and excesses by authorities in responding to crisis situations," the group said. The bill prohibits media personnel from reporting positions, movements and actions of the police and military during hostage-taking situations and other similar incidents like bomb threats, coup d’ etat, and kidnapping. The bill likewise proposes penalties for violations, which include six months to six years of imprisonment or a fine of P20,000. - KBK, GMANews.TV