Maguindanao massacre trial to be livestreamed on SC website

The high-profile Maguindanao massacre trial will not only be seen live on television. It will soon be viewed on the Internet as well. Following the Supreme Court's decision to allow the live broadcast of the trial, Chief Justice Renato Corona has instructed the SC's Public Information Office to provide a live video webcast of the trial on its website. This marks the first time that the Supreme Court has allowed a live broadcast and a live webcast of a court trial. "With this, the Maguindanao massacre trial will be accessible to viewers worldwide, continuously and without interruption. Once a scheduled trial is in progress, it can be immediately viewed by simply accessing the SC website using computers or mobile internet devices, including cellphones equipped with required software," a statement from the high court said on Tuesday. The statement also quoted SC spokesman and administrator Jose Midas Marquez as saying that the Public Information Office, which he also heads, is now preparing the technical back-ends to support the webcast. "I am meeting with the technical staff this afternoon so that we could immediately comply with the instructions of the Chief Justice. Hopefully, with the live webcast, the objections regarding no commercial breaks or gaps, and continuous broadcast of entire proceedings, will be addressed," said Marquez, who added that a test webcast may be conducted next week. Last week, the SC's justices voted unanimously to allow the live broadcast of the massacre trial, where key members of the powerful Ampatuan clan are among the accused. The SC's guidelines, however, were seen too strict by media organizations such as the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). The guidelines prohibit media networks from including commercial breaks in their broadcasts. News anchors are also barred from making voice-overs. "To provide faithful broadcast, no commercial break or any other gap shall be allowed until proceedings are adjourned, except during periods of recess called by the trial court," the guidelines state. The SC-PIO will also provide the single camera inside the court room. The news networks will then get their feed from the camera provided by the SC. — RSJ, GMA News