Guidelines C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Jonathan De la Cruz 08/26/2010

Guidelines

C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Jonathan De la Cruz 08/26/2010 By now, all sorts of experts and analysts have already issued their one half cent worth of what-should-have-beens after that carnage at the Rizal Park which, to paraphrase the famous Pearl Harbor epithet, will go down in history as a “day of infamy” haunting all of us no end. I am not about to add to the perorations which have been issued thus far. But for future reference, as they say in our part of the metro, and for the edification of people like Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso who succeeded in injecting himself only to add to the bungling of this tragic operation, our colleagues in media and, of course, the police, I am reprinting relevant excerpts of the Guidelines for Covering Hostage-Taking Crises, Prison Uprisings and Terrorist Actions written by Bob Steele, a Nelson Poynter Scholar for Journalism Values. It is my hope that the full tutorial not just on the coverage but on the proper handling of such situations will be made available to all concerned entities (media, police and other agencies) and appreciated by all including the “uzis” all over the place to prevent any more similar tragedies happening in the future. As they say, it is the lessons learned from such tragic incidents which, in the end, will determine whether we are deserving of self-respect or not. Here goes: “In covering a developing raid or law enforcement action, journalists are advised to: Be extremely cautious to not compromise the secrecy of officials’ planning and execution. If staking out a location where a raid will occur or if accompanying officers, reporters and photographers should demonstrate great caution in how they act, where they go, and what clues they might inadvertently give that might compromise the execution of the raid. They should check and double check planning efforts.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100826com5.html

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