Kidnapping of television reporter: A case of gauging risks for one story

Any blog on the June 8 Sulu kidnapping of the ABS-CBN news team and their "fixer" Professor Octavio Dinampo has to begin with a wish for the safe and speedy release of the remaining captives. At the back of many media professionals is the sense of, "there but for the grace of God..."
Over the past few days I have pondered hard on whether now is a suitable time to write a piece on safety and security of journalists in such situations. It is a matter for debate to be sure - yet I think the answer has to be "yes" if it gets just one journalist to carefully consider when the risk of following a story outweighs the benefit of securing a story. Time spent on good risk assessment is never wasted and I encourage those who have not done any formal safety training to click on the project's safety and security pages.
Meantime amid the column inches published so far on the kidnapping, the June 13 editorial and cartoon in the Philippine Daily Inquirer are well worth reflecting upon. The cartoon which shows a TV crew interviewing a shadowy gunman in the jungle and inside the huge jaws of a menacing head labeled Abu Sayyaf should be cut out and pinned on every newsroom notice-board – perfectly summarizing as it does, the risks journalists face every time they seek face to face interviews with insurgents and/or bandits. Read full story on this site..


source: gmanews.tv