Senate to review broadcast media coverage of police operations

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate will review the role of broadcast media in the coverage of the bungled police assault during the hostage-taking incident in Luneta last Aug. 23 to remind them of the conditions of their franchises.

Sen. Joker Arroyo said the Senate would review some of the measures that should be adopted by media in the coverage of certain events in relation to the freedom of the press.

Arroyo noted the excessive coverage of the Aug. 23 hostage incident that detailed a blow-by-blow account of the police operations against the hostage taker, dismissed police senior inspector Rolando Mendoza.

Arroyo said the botched police assault that left nine people dead, including Mendoza, caused the country embarrassment in the international community, and blamed the wide media coverage of the event for it.

“Our image (abroad) is that the government cannot handle crisis such as hostage-taking. But where did they learn about it abroad? Because of television, our incompetence was revealed to other countries,” Arroyo said in Filipino over dzBB radio.

“The question is: should we wash our dirty linen in public, especially during the investigation? Should we show our incompetence, our stupidity before an international audience?” Arroyo asked.

While the Philippine media enjoys widespread freedom, Arroyo pointed out that it should also learn to temper itself, particularly in covering life threatening situations.

He said the television coverage of the hostage taking telegraphed the position of the police to Mendoza, who was also watching the events unfold in a television monitor inside the bus.

He said the full coverage of the event had compromised the country’s national interest.

“This is not just a contest among our TV and radio stations,” Arroyo said.

“(This is) to remind broadcast media that what happened to us – which we are still suffering until now – is because of the TV coverage and what was shown abroad,” he said, adding that media should learn from this incident.

“Once our image and national interest are involved, our shame is on the line because of what was shown on TV, we should re-think this because about 200,000 OFWs in Hong Kong are now suffering because of this,” he said.

Arroyo’s call before the plenary to go back to the rules of media coverage in critical situations prompted the Senate to call for an adoption of a protocol for media coverage of certain events.

Senators Loren Legarda and Vicente Sotto III also agreed on the need to review procedures on media coverage.

Sotto noted the differences of the footage shown over international TV networks as compared to local media firms.

Legarda wanted to know why some media outfits had access to the hostage-taker during the critical periods of the negotiation.

Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., chairman of the Senate committee on public services that approves the franchises of broadcast media, has ordered the issuance of invitations to media personalities that covered the incident.

Critics pointed out that there should have been a media blackout to deny Mendoza any feedback on what was going on around him.

On the call by Hong Kong legislators for the Philippine government to issue a public apology, Arroyo and Sotto said it would not be necessary, since the government has manifested on many occasions its regret for the bloody end of the hostage drama.

Legarda said apologies in many forms have been offered a number of times.

Legarda said she made an effort to express her condolences to the Chinese government regarding the incident.

Legarda, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign relations, said she had assured the Chinese government that diplomatic relations with the Philippines would not be affected by the incident.

Arroyo, for his part, said there is no need to over-apologize.

Sotto also warned against overdoing apologies, as this might reach a point that the country loses its integrity as a nation.

“We have done enough. Of course, we sympathize that there were casualties,” he said. “The President himself has apologized. Should there be a never-ending apology? Sorry, sorry … even the Senate has said sorry. Everyone has already said sorry.”