Some were saying that the gruesome ending of the hostage taking in Quirino Grandstand in Manila by a former PNP Capt. Rolando Mendoza was the media’s fault. It was the media’s fault because they wanted scoop. If the media did not show footages of the hostage takers brother being arrested he wouldn’t be agitated to fire his weapons that lead to the deaths of 7 hostages. (Manila tourist bus hostage taking time line)
I beg to disagree, its not the media’s fault but the PNP, MPD SWAT and the operatives fault because they obviously didn’t have any plan on how to get Capt. Mendoza out of the bus and assure safety of the hostages. (National Police Procedures During Hostage Taking Incidents)
The media was there not to get scoop, they were there to keep an eye. They were doing their job. (But of course this international journalism guidelines in covering Hostage-Taking Crises, Prison Uprisings, Terrorist Actions does not apply in the Philippine journalist, not everyone knows this guidelines, seriously)
If not for the media we wouldn’t witness how untrained and incompetent our PNP, SWAT operatives are in situations like this.
Now we know where our authorities fail, why most hostage situations fail because our police enforcer are so inexperienced, untrained, unprepared and unequipped.
Imagine going to the bus without having any ladder, tear gas, flash light, gas mask or anything to protect themselves. Just a mallet to smash the bus windows and doors. What a big joke. What a big fail!
Here was a chance to disable the guy that could have prevented the gruesome ending. What was the plan of the MPD SWAT? I doubt if they have any plans at all. What incompetent people. If the photographer was able to take this nice shot the snipper could have disabled this guys legs!
Mendoza was completely armed when he entered the bus bearing Hong Kong nationals. He know what he was doing. The NPD SWAT was totally clueless.
Even at the end of the situation when the hostage taker was taken down by a snipper and declared dead. There was no crowd control, by standers freely got in the premises. What a shame!
Are our police just trained to control crown during inauguration and State of the Nation Address of the Philippine President? Or our crowd control is as bad as our flood control program. Evidence were already tampered they can say anything they want.
32 Comments
I understand having your own guidelines per organization, but isn’t ethics part of that said guidelines?
As mentioned earlier: Article 6 of the KBP’s Broadcast Code states that “The coverage of crime or crisis situations shall not provide vital information or offer comfort or support to the perpetrators.”
Isn’t it clear that in SOME way, the media went beyond their limits?
Please do not take this differently, but people are NOT putting ALL the blame to the media. The media had PARTLY made a mistake during the coverage, there’s another way to practice press freedom without compromising the lives of the hostages, hence, both the police and the media had lapses on the said incident.
@Elevic please read the thread as it goes. That we know the police are incompetent is given doesn’t mean we should cut them some slack? Anyway heads rolled already incompetence should never ever be rewarded. I hope everyone learned from all the mistakes committed in this incident.
@Anne they don’t follow that because thats not their bible GMA7 already showed their own guidelines each media organization have their own guidelines
@Elevic please read the thread as it goes. That we know the police are incompetent is given doesn’t mean we should cut them some slack? Anyway heads rolled already incompetence should never ever be rewarded. I hope everyone learned from all the mistakes committed in this incident.
There was the Chief executive who could have exercised his powers right there and then but I am not sure where he was and what was he doing when all this things are happening….he didn’t even find time to attend the send off for the victims…
I could not understand why you said that the Philippines media does not follow those guidelines at Poynter.Org. As journalists (and for any other professions as well), you must be informed of international standards and guidelines to make you more professional and competitive. Say this was not taught during university days (which I highly doubt; or possibly those journalists who do not know were absent or sleeping when this was tackled inside their classroom), then it is their responsibility to know them once they are part of the professional world to make them better journalists.
I understand your point on the need to have that incident covered BUT there should have a delay on the reports. I would have appreciated the media more if they only provided little information while the hostages are not yet released, the times when they provided videos on where the police are located already removed the element of surprise that is important for any life-threatening operation.
Both the media and the police operations have failure on resolving that incident.
I am just stating my opinion here.
Don’t blame the media. Blame the police for fouling up. They don’t have a solid plan to solve the said incident. Moreover, the police also lack determination and were not able to satisfy the gunman’s demands accordingly. Take note nobody contacted the media or even gave them ground rules.