Duterte sees media’s role on drug war

BAÑOC

Following the abuses of some policemen in the administration’s well-supported war on drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the police to conduct anti-drug operations in the presence of journalists.

The President said, “This is what I told the police. Do not make raids now without the media.” He further said, “If it’s a camera, if there’s a reporter, see to it that they are there in the beginning up to the end.”

Such statement of the President reinforces his previous orders for the police to follow the rules of engagement during anti-drug operations. They should not commit abuses that could compromise the credibility of the war on drugs.

This pronouncement drew different reactions even within the members of the press. In fact, here in Cebu, Elias Baquero, president of Cebu Federation of Beat Journlalists (CFBJ), and Mr. Arnold Bustamante, president of Defense PNP Press Corps (DEPC), have different takes on the matter.

My good friend Mr. Baquero expressed his concerns of putting the lives of journalists to risk while Mr. Bustamante is glad if invited to cover the anti-drug operations for purposes of transparency. Both reporters are correct in their opinions given the respective situations they are in.

On the part of Baquero, a newspaper reporter, there is no urgency for him to inform his readers of the incident in real time because his news article will come out in the following day. But on the part of Bustamante, a broadcaster, the nature of his job requires a report who is first and fast, as real time and live as possible. The radio listeners and television viewers are more appreciative of the live coverage.

The print medium has its own indispensable advantages, but recency and immediacy are among the advantages of radio and TV over newspaper. Being a broadcaster and journalist myself, I understand the strengths and powers of both print and broadcast.

No doubt for many broadcasters Duterte’s statement is a welcome development. The problem is if the President said otherwise: that police should not allow the media to cover the anti-drug operations. If it happens, then we must see the signs of martial law because it would be violative of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press.

We just ask the police to inform all media outlets fairly. Then let the management of the media outlets exercise the prerogative of sending their reporters to cover.

If they send their reporters, they will see to it that they can provide the appropriate vests and helmets like what they do to those who covered the more risky war in Marawi. This kind of coverage is not new to broadcast journalists; in fact, we can see both CNN and BBC send their reporters to war zones for coverage.

While it is true that no story is worth dying for, broadcasters are urged to follow the broadcast code in conducting live coverage for everyone’s safety.

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) has amended the Broadcast Code following the Luneta hostage crisis in 2010.

The KBP Code under Article VI section 1, provides: “The coverage of crimes in progress or crisis situations, such as hostage-taking or kidnapping, shall consider the safety and security of human lives above the right of the public to information. If it is necessary in avoiding injury or loss of life, the station should consider delaying its airing.”

Section 2 states, “The coverage of crime and crisis situations shall not provide vital information, or offer comfort or support to the perpetrator. Due to the danger posed to human life in such situations, it shall be assumed that the perpetrator has access to the broadcast of the station.”

Section 3 says, “While the incident is going on, the station shall desist from showing or reporting the strategies, plans, and tactics employed by the authorities to resolve the situation-including the positioning of forces, deployment of machine and equipment, or any other information that might jeopardize their operations or put lives in danger.”

Section 6 further states, “The station and its personnel are expected to comply with restrictions imposed by the authorities in the scene of the incident, such as space assignments for media; police perimeter lines; the use of television lights; the deployment of coverage vans, helicopters, and other vehicles; and the operation of transmitting and communication equipment.”

To address the valid concerns on crime scene preservations, section 7 articulates, “The legal injunction to preserve evidence in a crime scene should always be kept in mind. When the incident is resolved, the coverage crew shall follow the lead of the authorities in the preservation of evidence, taking care not to move, alter, or destroy anything that might be used as evidence.”

Media’s acceptance of the police call for coverage might help to put a stop of some policemen’s abuses in the war on drugs and ease the anxiety of the doubters.

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Happy birthday mama Mary!