HK journalists to Aquino: Don’t use tragedy to curtail media

Journalists from Hong Kong have asked President Benigno Aquino III not to use perceived lapses in Philippine media’s live coverage of last Monday’s Manila hostage tragedy to curtail press freedom in the country. In an open letter posted on its website Thursday, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) expressed “anger and concern" over Aquino’s “hasty conclusions," which they said made the media a “scapegoat" for the bloody end of the hostage crisis, which resulted in the death of eight Hong Kong tourists and their heavily-armed captor. The HKJA was reacting to Aquino’s statement Monday night, where he said, “Media coverage of [hostage-taker ex-Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza’s] brother being taken into custody further agitated the hostage-taker…" (See: President Aquino's statement on the Manila hostage crisis) The group said Aquino used such a “flimsy excuse" to consider implementing restrictions on media coverage during similar incidents. “We have no idea what further restrictions are under consideration but what we are sure of is that President Benigno Aquino’s words were uttered hastily and without careful consideration. Without a thorough investigation such conclusions cannot be taken seriously and the HKJA views the president’s hasty conclusions with grave misgivings," the group stated. It said the media’s role is to tell the world what is happening, and that their presence is vital for the preservation of human rights. “As in the case of Manila’s killings, nobody can tell if the same tragedy would not have taken place without the presence of the media. What we can be sure of is that without the presence of the media no knowledge of this horrific tragedy would have been known to the outside world," the letter read. The HKJA likewise faulted the Philippine police for forcibly taking in the hostage-taker’s brother, who was himself a police officer, and handcuffing him in front of the media. “The police, clearly, had neither strategy nor the necessary know-how to deal with such a situation… [It] is unrealistic to ask the media not to broadcast live in a matter of huge public interest not only to the Filipinos themselves, but also to people in Hong Kong and elsewhere," they said. Proper media arrangements, the group said, should thus have been made, including designating a safe area for members of the media at the scene. They urged the Philippine government not to use the presence of the media in the hostage-taking incident to clamp down on journalists in the country, and instead deal with its own “incompetence." “The Hong Kong Journalists Association calls on the Philippines government to refrain from using this incident to introduce harsh measures against the media in order to cover up their incompetence," they stated. They likewise vowed to closely monitor Aquino’s declaration and to ensure it does not result in “further deterioration" of press freedom in country in light of the hostage-taking.—JV, GMANews.TV