I read with interest Manolo Quezon’s thoughts on the Ces Drilon kidnap situation.
For non-Filipinos reading this blog, Ces Orena-Drilon is a broadcast journalist of one of the leading networks, ABS CBN. The closest comparison I can think of in the U.S. setting is Ann Curry of NBC, except maybe with a more obvious agenda.
Last Sunday, June 8, Drilon, together with two members of her crew and a Mindanao-based professor were reportedly abducted by the Abu Sayyaf, a militant insurgent group with links to Al Qaeda. It has been reported that a ransom was asked for their release.
I actually read about the incident on one of the blogs I frequent, a none-news blog ironically, who got the information from another blog. The first report I watched on TV was, again, ironically, on rival network GMA 7.
What to do in this situation? ABS CBN news and public affairs big boss Maria Ressa reportedly called up the major media outlets and asked them for a news blackout until negotiations with the captors were underway.
Inquirer explains why they decided not to run with their story here.
Manolo presents the different arguments in the blogosphere regarding the situation. Some say that asking for the news blackout was a way for ABS to manage the media. Others say asking for it was justifiable, as lives were on the line. If the lives on the line argument was to be followed, wouldn’t it also apply to situations where ordinary citizens are victims of kidnapping?
Interestingly, Manolo writes that it really wasn’t the AP or Cebu Daily News who broke the story, as some bloggers inferred, but it was the government TV station NBN-4.
My thoughts?
To some extent, journalists who go to areas where they are not supposed to go know the risks involved. They go there knowing full well that anything can happen.
I believe in mainstream media in the U.S., assignments for hotspots like Iraq and Afghanistan are done on a voluntary, purely rotational basis. If one is chosen, one can always say no. Or one can repeatedly ask for this sort of assignment if one feels like it but has to sign a waiver of some sort.
Obviously, the Philippine situation is different from the U.S. setting but I think, in principle, this protocol applies. One does not venture out into uncharted territory without knowing full well the risks involved. It wasn’t like the previous coverage of the Peninsula takeover incident where we saw Drilon running around in heels wearing a headband to get to interview Trillanes et al. That one was unplanned supposedly. This one, they knowingly went to the territory where it is known that kidnappings do happen.
Having said this, the conundrum is, you know what you’re getting into and now you’re faced with the worst case scenario. What to do? There’s no simple black or white answer (Like the New York cookie. Okay, bad insert, but I saw it on “Ugly Betty” last night and I realized how much I missed it even if it’s a hit-or-miss depending on where you buy it.) It’s a bit of a gray area.
Even what ABS CBN did on their behalf regarding the news blackout request is strictly off the textbooks and one where a journ professor will most probably tell his students that it depends on the situation.
If I were the editor, if I chose to honor the news blackout request, it would be for the reason that I personally know the journalists being held captive and that I’m personally concerned. But c’mon, given a nameless, faceless person in their stead, I would highly doubt that media would hold on to the news knowing full well the important value of the story.
On the other hand, if I were ABS CBN and there were indeed ongoing negotiations, would I have asked for a news blackout from colleagues? It would be hard to say. But most probably, no. Rather than have another news outlet report the incident with inaccurate information, I believe it would be best to release a statement from the network involved. That is, if it is indeed true that they will not be paying ransom to give in to the demands of the kidnappers.
On a more personal note, I wish for the safety for those kidnapped. I hope that they will be released, unharmed.
What is your opinion on the matter?
6 Comments
June 12, 2008 at 12:27 am
[...] Coffee With Amee points [...]
June 13, 2008 at 1:41 am
I think that I will publish this post in my blog and link to your site to get the word out. Additionally, I’ll try contacting others with blogs to get this information out as well.
June 13, 2008 at 1:58 am
[...] LINK [...]
June 13, 2008 at 11:11 am
I added this comment on Boy versus Bar’s weblog:
Hi.
I would appreciate it if you can just link my entry and quote the relevant parts instead of copy-pasting the whole entry here on your blog. I have not given you permission to do so and since you are actually including everything I wrote on your post, I believe it is only fair that you have my permission, which, incidentally, I’m not giving for the copy-pasting of the whole thing. I hope you understand.
Additionally, I am just one of the many, albeit belatedly, who wrote a reaction to the incident. The links to the other blogs can be found in this particular entry and there are many more, including traditional media sources. Please take note of that.
June 13, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Apologies. Edited.
June 13, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Thank you.