Echo of “Training of Trainors for Safety and Alerts Reporting”

Organized by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)

Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao, Sept. 28-30, 2006

History: By Melinda Quintos de Jesus, executive director of the CMFR

CMFR is a non-stock, non-profit foundation created to establish a framework of

responsibility for the practice of the press.
It pioneered in Asia the reporting of journalist killings and attacks on and threats
to press freedom according to established standards. CMFR is now working with the IBP
for lawyers to provide pro-bono assistance to journalists.

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Murder statistics: By Rachel Khan, CMFR coordinator to the FFFJ

From 1986 to September 2006, a total of 60 journalists have been killed. Forty-
four percent of these were killed under the Arroyo administration.
In 2005, the Paris-based Reporters without Borders and the New York-based
Committee for the Protection of Journalists, called RP “the most dangerous place for
journalists.” It is number one in terms of journalists killed outside the war zone and
second only in number to Iraq.
Most of the 28 killed under the Arroyo administration were radio journalists.
• Most of those slain had received death threats but did nothing about them.
• Most were killed in or near their houses or offices by motorcycle-riding men.
• Most of those slain were not academically trained as journalists: 44% were
college grads in non-masscom fields; 22% didn’t finish college.
• 39% were college graduates in non-masscom fields; 25% didn’t finish college.
• None of the slain journalists was affiliated with any national news organization.
Only 25% had current KBP accreditation. 14% had expired accreditation. 39%
had no accreditation.

Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ)

FFFJ was launched in January 2003 to provide support for the families of slain
journalists, particularly in the legal aid needed to pursue cases against the perpetrators.
Members of the FFFJ are the Philippine Press Institute, Center for Community
Journalism & Dev’t., KBP, PCIJ, Philippine News and CMFR (the secretariat).
For the Marlene Esperat case, the FFFJ provided a private prosecutor to help the
DOJ in prosecuting the case.
The CMFR and the FFFJ advise media org’ns and other media groups to apply
constant pressure on gov’t by publishing updates on media killing cases. This sends the
signal to the judge pursuing a case and the local gov’t that media is watching.
Safety and security: Yvonne Chua, professor, dept. of journalism, UP
Melinda Quintos de Jesus, executive director, CMFR

Staying Alive 2006:

• Prevention
• Intervention
• Postvention

1) Prevention (of libel, threats to freedom like detention, attacks)

o One of the best defenses vs. attack is good, ethical journalism.

- Provide accurate and balanced reporting.

- Check for the completeness of your story (significant info may have been omitted),
fairness (omit irrelevant info), proper context, pejorative terms.
- Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
- Provide full disclosure. If you write about a company, which sponsored a trip that
you are writing about, disclose that your trip was sponsored.
- Be humane. Do not cause needless harm or damage. Avoid trial by publicity and
invasion of privacy.
- When covering elections, pay your way. Do not accept cash or gifts from politicians
and political parties. Do not moonlight with political parties.
- Be careful with secondary jobs you take. Don’t use your paper/job to make money.
Draw the line between journalism and your own money ventures. Don’t misuse or
abuse your privileges as a journalist. In other words, do not be a corrupt journalist.

o When a threat has been made: Never take threats lightly.

- For libel threats, have with you the telephone #s of attorneys and media groups.
- For death threats, alert the local Task Force Newsman, which is under the CIDG, to
provide protection, if necessary. Publicize threats journalists receive. Seek support
from local and national press organizations.
- Be alert for surveillance. Or turn the tables and conduct counter-surveillance. To
detect surveillance, retrace your course (180o turn) or conduct a dummy call and
look at the surveillant. When walking in a commercial area, slow down and scan the
reflections on window panes to see who is following you.
- When in a bus, do not take the window seat. You would be an open target.
- For general security, when in an airplane, avoid the aisle seat. In case of a
hostage-taking incident, those in the aisle seats are easiest to grab.

2) Intervention

- Find environmental weaponry: stone, whatever you can hit your attacker with: car
key, ballpen.
 - Take cover. Cover and concealment are not the same. Concealment is hiding from
view (hiding behind a curtain). When using a car as cover, hide behind the hood
rather than in the posterior side of the car, where the gas tank is.
- If you get a bomb threat, evacuate 300 meters away. Run in different directions.
- Never move the bomb.
- Don’t change the existing environment e.g. light, sound, temperature.
- Open all doors and windows to minimize blast pressure.
- Never use a two-way radio, cell phones or other radio communication.
- Always assume there’s more than one device present.

3) Postvention

o Surviving Abduction

- Do what you are told.

- Build a relationship with your abductors.
- Play mind games or think of pleasant things to do when you get out. Keep busy.
- If you are being tied, make yourself as big as possible, so you can loosen the rope.
- Do not believe promises of release.
- Eat and drink a lot when you can.
- Keep rested in case you have to escape or are forced to move around.
- If you are handcuffed, find any handcuff key. Any key will open the handcuffs.

o Man down

- Provide verbal first aid. Calm him down. Tell him help is on the way.
- If someone gets pierced in the eye, don’t remove the object. Cover the object (e.g. a
ballpen) with a punctured paper cup. Cover also the other eye, so that it doesn’t
move.

Watch 11-minute video:

- Added explanations: Check tires of cars. That’s part of the inspection for any signs
of break-in or tampering.
- Covering rallies: wear your ID. You do not want to be mistaken for a combatant.

Coverage of dangerous situations:

- Setting up interviews with potentially dangerous persons or groups:
a) Go with another person who will serve as lookout.
b) Devise a code system or hand signals.

Coverage in hostile areas:

a) Don’t carry a firearm. It will jeopardize your status as a neutral observer and
make you a target.
b) Your equipment may be mistaken for a weapon. Cameras or laptops may also
 make you a target of thieves in the locality.
c) Separate your money and hide them in various pockets.

Covering hostage-taking crises, police raids, prison uprisings, terrorist actions

- Always assume that the hostage taker, gunman or terrorist has access to the
reporting. Avoid giving any information that would divulge the tactics or positions
of SWAT team members.
- Fight the urge to involve yourself in any standoff, hostage situation or terrorist
incident. Journalists should become personally involved only as a last resort and
with the explicit approval of top news management and the consultation of trained
hostage negotiators on the scene.
- While a standoff is in progress, give no information, factual or speculative, about a
hostage taker’s mental condition, state of mind, or reasons for actions. Give no
analyses or comments on a hostage taker’s or terrorist’s demands. Negotiators
should take all demands seriously. Be cautious in reporting on the medical condition
of hostages. Be cautious when interviewing hostages or released hostages while a
crisis continues.
- Journalists who have to ride a military vehicle should get out of it the first chance
they get. Transfer to a safer vehicle.
- Do not wear olive green or anything that will make you look like a soldier.
- Go beyond the basic story of the hostage taking or standoff to report on the larger
issues behind the story.

Covering disasters and catastrophes:

1) Estimates of casualties should be corroborated by various sources.

2) Reporters must be oriented about the issues raised by the particular kind of
disaster and rescue operations to prepare them to observe these procedures more
intelligently w/o interfering with the conduct of operations.
3) Rescue operations take precedence over their story. Reporters cannot interfere
with the saving of lives and prevention of injury. In this connection, prepare
questions for spot interviews. Avoid chitchat.
4) Reporters cannot be too sensitive to the plight of victims and their families and
friends. In getting their story or picture, they must respect the victims’ desire for
and right to privacy.

Search and Arrest:

1) Search

Your house or office cannot be searched w/o a search warrant issued by a judge. If
there is warrant, they can only seize those things that are described in the warrant.
But if you are arrested, your person and immediate surroundings may be searched
for dangerous weapons and evidence that you committed the crime for which you
are being arrested.
 A search warrant is valid if:
- It is signed by a civilian judge.
- It specifies one offense only.
- It describes with particularity the exact location and/or address of the place
to be searched, and lists down exactly what things are to be seized.
- It is used w/in 10 days from its issuance.

Call your lawyer immediately to tell him that your house or office is about to be
searched. Upon letting the search party enter your premises, ask for their names,
rank, and the office or unit to which they belong. Get the name and rank of the
commanding officer.

During the search, accompany the group conducting the search at all times to
prevent them from planting documents or weapons. A search can be done only in
the presence of the lawful occupant or any member of his family. If they are not
around, it should be done in the presence of 2 witnesses of sufficient age and
discretion who reside in the locality.

If anything is taken from your home or office, the officer seizing the property must
give you a detailed receipt. Ask for a copy of the receipt. Make sure it reflects the
original. If there are blank spaces, tell them to place a line across it so that they
don’t “add” items later on hat were not found during the search.

Don’t sign anything w/o talking to your lawyer first.

2) Arrest

You may be arrested only on the strength of a warrant issued by a judge, except
when you have committed, are actually committing, or are attempting to commit
an offense in the presence of an arresting officer.

When an offense has just been committed & the arresting officer has probable
cause to believe, based on personal knowledge of facts and circumstances, that you
committed the offense.

If you are lawfully arrested, have a relative, friend or even a stranger (get his name
and address) witness your arrest. Ask the arresting officer where you will be taken.
Ask that you be accompanied by the relative, friend or stranger who witnessed
your arrest. Call your lawyer. If they don’t allow you to do so, have your relative
or other witness to your arrest do so.

If you are told you are not being arrested but merely invited for questioning, tell
them you will consult your lawyer first. If they don’t allow you to consult your
lawyer, refuse to go with them.

If they insist, their acts become an arrest. Stay calm. And follow the steps above.
Search and Arrest

Never use force:

 When objecting to an illegal search. Do not agree
to be searched, but do not physically resist. A
warrantless search w/o your prior & voluntary
consent is illegal.
 When objecting to an arrest (defects in the warrant:
your name is incorrect, offense for w/c you are being
arrested). Do not physically resist. State that you
object to your arrest, but that you are going
peacefully to avoid violence.