NO TO 'EMBEDDED TROOPS'!

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) slammed yesterday plans by the Armed Forces of the Philippines to embed troops among media organizations, calling this "a heavy-handed attempt at news management and the latest sign of the constriction of democratic space in the country."

In letters to AFP Chief of Staff, Gen. Narciso L. Abaya; AFP civil relations service chief, Brig. Gen. Victor Corpus, and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, the NUJP questioned how the embedded soldiers would be able to maintain objective, much less critical, reportage. The letters were signed by NUJP chairperson, Inday Espina-Varona and NUJP secretary-general Carlos Conde.

The NUJP urged the KBP to uphold independent reportage and warned that allowing soldiers to pass themselves off as regular reporters "could mislead the public into accepting outright propaganda as legitimate news."

The organization, an affiliate of the International Federation of Journalists, also warned that the move "could be a prelude to more news blackouts and a ban on media coverage of conflict situations." The result, the NUJP added, could be tantamount to the wholesale violation of a basic right - that of the people's right to know.

"This is unacceptable, given the tens of thousands of lives affected by conflicts in Western Mindanao and elsewhere in the country," the NUJP said in similar letters to Abaya and Corpus.

While the NUJP appreciates the AFP's desire to air its own version of incidents, it would better serve the public by "allowing quick and substantial access to military information officials, and respecting journalists' freedom to report on events, especially when these affect innocent lives."

The NUJP said the AFP move sets a dangerous trend, coming on the heels of news blackouts imposed by the government. It cited the ban on media during the testimony of former Abu Sayyaf captive Gracia Burnham.

"The problem with news blackouts and overly tight news management is that it allows unscrupulous officials to peddle disinformation. Thus, in the Burnham case, media initially reported the DOJ's erroneous claim of Burnham clearing the military of collusion with her captors," the NUJP pointed out. Had media been allowed into the hearing, even on a pool basis, reports would have been more truthful and bereft of the government's self-serving spin.

The NUJP was reacting to news reports on the training of 30 Western Mindanao-based soldiers, in preparation for their deployment to radio and television stations.

The reports quoted Maj. Gamal Hayudini, AFP regional civil relations chief, as saying the soldiers would "do coverage regularly like the other mainstream media." The officer claimed the move was the brainchild of Corpus, former military intelligence chief and now head of the AFP civil relations service. Hayudini said it was not a plot to spy on print and broadcast journalists.

"To sweeten the idea by saying the AFP would pay the salaries of the embedded soldiers completely misses the point. That would only ensure that soldier-reporters' loyalty would always focus on the military. Loyalty to the public's right to know would only come second," the NUJP pointed out.

The organization urged all Filipino journalists to resist the AFP’s move, saying it would only worsen assaults on press freedom.

Refer to:
Inday Espina-Varona (0916-751-25-22)
Carlos Conde (0918-942-52-92)