Keeping Mum. (J101Essay)

“It is a newspaper’s duty to print news and raise hell.” - The Chicago Times, 1981

The kidnapping of broadcast journalist Ces Oreña-Drilon, her cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Jimmy Valderama, and Prof. Octavio Dinampo of the Mindanao State University in Maimbung, Sulu last Sunday afternoon, June 15, did not reach the masses until two days later, gracing the front page of the country’s major broadsheets and being the banner headline of leading broadcast and radio news.

The kidnapping itself was a tragic thing for the journalism community; it has, in a way or another, rekindled the issue on journalists’ safety in the line of duty, something that has been dormant for quite some time now. What aggravated the situation was the withholding of the news release by ABS-CBN, for fear that it may worsen the already uncertain situation of its senior correspondent and her crew during that time. Thus, the news embargo: instead of running the story Monday, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. news and current affairs head Maria Ressa requested media outfits to hold the story until Tuesday.

Yes, fearing for the safety of Drilon and her crew is an understandable thing; people will and have shown sympathy for their ill fate. But what is unclear is how the news release would have affected their situation. Better yet, what is questionable is how the withholding of the news would have even ensured their safety and well-being. What difference would it have made had the news been released the day after the incident than two days after? Delaying the news had not only intensified the already overrated story, but also raised suspicions and speculations as to what is the real score behind the news embargo.

It is a wonder how journalists scramble to get the latest scoop on the most recent current events, keeping us up-to-date on the important news of the day. Another kidnapping, though it would have mattered, would not have as much of an impact on us; include one of the most prominent broadcast journalist of the country, and it would be a completely different story.

And it’s when something as big as Ces Drilon and kidnapping that the media decides to keep mum.