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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Editorial: Botching up
IT'S simply amazing how the Arroyo administration has this double standard when it comes to issuing apologies for certain mistakes it had committed in two separate occasions.
The first was the retraction it issued in the arrest of suspected Abu Sayaff leader Radulan Sahiron, who it turns out, had not been arrested at all since the person captured was his look-alike.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was quick to retract her commendation to the police but refused to retract her claim that ABS-CBN broadcaster Julius Babao paid for the bail of a suspected Abu Sayaff man despite later disclosures that it was untrue.
In these two occasions, they were caught with their pants down but while they slipped in the second occasion and made amends they were not so forthcoming in the first time they botched things up.
Which means that while they may stop and think but only for a few minutes about their campaign against terrorism they are quick to condemn and accuse media practitioners who simply do their jobs when covering stories on the war on terror.
It is apparent that the Palace has their contacts in media in order to buttress their claims on Babao or else they would not be so bold as to refuse the demand of ABS-CBN management to issue a public apology.
Granted that it may set a precedent but then the major TV network is not alone on the receiving end of the Palace harassment tactics. Even the critical print media had been strong-armed by the Palace officials.
It had been learned that the NewsBreak magazine was the subject of alleged monitoring by government that is of course denied by the latter. All are subtle, yet very loud signals that government's patience with critical media is nearing its end.
So it's perfectly all right for them to make mistakes but to point them out and criticize them isn't. Worse, the coverage on the war on terror had been restricted with military and government now having no qualms watching over the shoulders of media practitioners.
(November 8, 2005 issue)
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