(PART 2) Reporting ‘Yolanda’: More needed from the media

Last of Two Parts

 

Conflict of interest

The international news agencies questioned the government’s “slow” response. CNN’s Anderson Cooper, reporting in Tacloban on November 13, described the situation as a “miserable, miserable” one. Cooper said: “You would expect perhaps to see a feeding center that had been set up five days after the storm. We haven’t seen that, certainly not in this area. Some food is being brought to people here at the airport, some being distributed but these are very, very difficult conditions for the people here on the ground and it’s not clear how much longer it can continue like this.”

RELATED LINKS (PART 1) Reporting ‘Yolanda’: More needed from the media “First Informers in the Disaster Zone: The Lessons of Katrina” yield some very concrete steps in helping both the media and the government improve communications and the flow of information during disasters. Click the link to read the report on and know more about disaster preparedness and management.

Cooper also compared the Philippines’ response to Yolanda with that of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. “When I was in Japan, right after the tsunami there two years ago, within a day or two, you had Japanese defense forces going out, carving up cities into grids and going out on foot looking for people, walking through the wreckage. We have not seen that here in any kind of large-scale operation.”

Korina Sanchez, in her dzMM radio program Rated Korina, objected. “Si Anderson Cooper, sabi wala (r)aw government presence sa Tacloban. Mukhang hindi niya alam ang sinasabi niya (Anderson Cooper said there is no government presence in Tacloban. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about).”

Sanchez’ remarks received criticism from social media denizens. A Twitter user said Sanchez “should have the guts to go to Tacloban and see the disaster for herself.” Another said she is “not the one to speak about credibility” and that she “should be suspended or even fired for what she said about Anderson Cooper.”

Netizens also pointed out the need for Sanchez to address the apparent conflict of interest: “It’s okay for Korina Sanchez to criticize Anderson Cooper. That’s her right. BUT she has to make a disclosure on her ties with Mar.” Another said that Sanchez should “act as a journalist, not a wife” and that she should be removed from TV Patrol as she is “part of government now.”

On November 14, a day after Sanchez made her remarks in dzMM, she was seen reporting live from Ormoc in Leyte. It would be her last appearance in TV Patrol. Her absence from the program immediately drew speculations on suspension. A Twitter user said the “suspension” “serves her right.”

Though Sanchez earned the ire of netizens, others still thought the “catfight” “shouldn’t be an issue.” One also said “bashing Korina Sanchez doesn’t make you a better person. Helping ‘Yolanda’ victims does.”

Which is true enough. But conflict of interest is not about Sanchez. It is a legitimate ethical issue that needs to be discussed so other practitioners can avoid it.

On November 15, Cooper said of Sanchez’ remarks: “A radio broadcaster named Korina Sanchez has taken issue with some of my reporting. She also is not just a radio broadcaster, she also happens to be the wife of the Interior Minister Secretary Manuel Roxas II who is overseeing the relief effort on the ground. Miss Sanchez seems to be under the mistaken impression that I said I saw no presence of Philippine government on the ground in Tacloban. I never said that.” (“Anderson Cooper-Korina Sanchez tiff goes viral on the Internet“)

During Cooper’s program Anderson Cooper 360, he pointedly urged Sanchez to go to Tacloban. “I don’t know if she has but her husband’s the interior minister. I’m sure he can arrange a flight.” The ABS-CBN Standards & Ethics Manual warns that ABS-CBN journalists should “avoid conflicts between personal interests and the interest of ABS-CBN or even the appearance of such conflicts.” It adds that journalists should “avoid activities that interfere or appear to interfere with his/her objectivity or other activities required by his/her job at ABS-CBN.”

It was not the first time Sanchez has been questioned about her conflicting interests.

But Cooper’s reporting had other critics. In an open letter to Cooper, a Geraldine Uy Wong said: “If America, which was hit by Hurricane Katrina, a far tamer weather disturbance in comparison to Supertyphoon Yolanda, struggled as well for several days and weeks to cope with the disaster, with then Pres. Bush earning the ire of your countrymen, how in the world could we expect that the Philippines, a much poorer country with very meager resources compared to the massive resources of a superpower country like yours, be able to miraculously stand up on its feet just a few days after this magnitude of a disaster?” (“‘Yolanda’ dividing Filipinos; no thanks to negative people“)

Even the President appealed for “greater accuracy in reports” after his administration was criticized by the international media for “disorganized” Yolanda relief operations. During a Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas affair in Pampanga on November 14, Secretary Herminio Coloma read a message from the President saying that news organizations should use their “role to uplift the spirits of the Filipino people—to find stories of resilience, hope and faith, and show the world just how strong the Filipino people are.”

But a few days after the disaster, most media reports still focused on looting, lawlessness, and the slow delivery of aid instead of how the people in the affected communities were helping one another in rising from the disaster. An Inquirer article pointed out that the media should “give hope by telling more stories of heroism and valor.” (“Pinoy Kasi: Too slow, too fast“)

An article from Time magazine also said: “By showing communities coming together, journalists can amplify the dynamics that save lives. It is time to look at how effectively international organizations are supporting a normally well-oiled (but now struggling) domestic response capacity, not how international aid shipments are arriving late.” (“Public Health: Stop Catastrophizing Relief Efforts in the Philippines“)

In reporting the Philippine government’s failure in the first week after the storm hit, the media, international as well as national, should have placed the failing in context, by pointing out that the inadequacy of response had also been seen in other disaster situations, as this helps people appreciate the pressures that bear on responders.

The Palace may slam the local and international media for reporting on the government’s shortcomings but their coverage “convinced outsiders about the extent of devastation, prompting sympathy and aid for the victims.” (“Where media shone, dimmed in coverage of Yolanda“)

Media’s social responsibility

ABS-CBN 2 and GMA-7 in their weekend news programs featured their reporters and their accounts on the field. GMA-7’s Micaela Papa recalled her and her team’s experience in covering the typhoon saying it was the “pinakamalala (worst)” and “pinakamalakas (strongest)” typhoon that her team has ever covered.

Solar TV’s David Santos and his crew were interviewed on Solar Network News on November 11. When asked about his thoughts on the story, Santos said: “When we were told we’re going to cover a super typhoon, I had an inkling then that it’s going to be a very difficult coverage. We’ll see a lot of suffering, we’ll see a lot of destruction and devastation. But then we realized there’s a higher purpose for it.”

Benjie Dorango of TV5’s Rescue5 was also seen helping civilians in Guiuan, Eastern Samar evacuate after the typhoon. Dorango said it was the “pinakamatagal na dalawang oras ng aming buhay habang humahagupit si Yolanda (longest two hours of our lives).”

The media were also quick to initiate relief operations. ABS-CBN Foundation launched “Sagip Kapamilya” and a telethon. GMA-7’s Kapuso Foundation conducted Kapuso telethon, and TV5’s Alagang Kapatid Foundation launched its “Tulong Kapatid, Sulong Kapatid” telethon to raise funds and collect food and clothes for the typhoon victims. The Inquirer also launched a relief drive to help the victims of Yolanda. The news programs reported on the rescue and relief operations of their networks. TV Patrol reported that ABS-CBN network had set up cell phone charging stations so residents in the affected areas could contact their relatives.

Some of the networks’ talents were also in the news. Kapamilya stars Daniel Padilla and Shaina Magdayao and Kapuso actress Jennylyn Mercado said they were worried for their relatives in Leyte. Several artists were also featured for raising funds for the victims of the typhoon.

Politics and relief issues

Six days after the typhoon, relief goods had yet to be received by many victims. The Palace was “still working” to get aid to the affected areas. Some families were provided with relief goods but others were still waiting for help.

Politics intruded into the coverage, also “hampering the relief effort.” In an interview with ANC, Leyte 4th district Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez said “There is one municipality na nakakuha ng truck for their municipality, may mga barangay na hindi binigyan kasi hindi kaalyado (One municipality got a truck, there were villages that weren’t given anything because they were not allies).”

In another interview, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told ANC: “Matindi ‘yung politika (The politics is terrible). We have been telling them there should be no politics in times of disaster.” Gazmin said some barangay captains ask the people first if they voted for him during the barangay elections before they are given relief goods. (“NDRRMC to local leaders: Set aside politics for Yolanda victims“)

The meeting between Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Secretary Roxas and the word war that followed after its video recording went viral received far too much press. It may have had significance in terms of evaluating the personalities involved.

Cito Beltran on his decision to release the 42-minute video: “The video is crucial because it is a ‘black box’ that recorded what key players and officials were saying and doing at the height of relief and rescue operations 6 days after the typhoon. It gives observers an accurate recording of the state of mind of the individuals and exactly what the status of engagement was between the local government and the national government.”

But the reporting on feedback and the media attention given to one side or the other seemed driven by more partisan interest than public good. The coverage distracted from the more urgent tasks of recovery and rehabilitation, media taking the easy way out, resorting to “he said, she said”, with some reports even taking statements out of context.

Rehabilitation and preparation

Relief operations are still ongoing. Several countries and even local citizens are providing assistance to the typhoon victims. The distribution of relief goods to the affected areas “has been moving” after the roads were cleared of debris. The government is also looking for temporary relocation sites for the survivors. The President said their first priority is to prepare communities for more frequent and stronger typhoons.

Early this year, Aquino “ordered” a monitoring system on storm surges. Project NOAH is working on the Coastal Hazards and Storm Surge Assessment and Mitigation (CHASSAM) that will predict storm surges and the areas it will affect. CHASSAM was only two months old when the typhoon hit, hence, it was not able to identify the areas where people can safely evacuate. CHASSAM is targeted to be completed by December 2014.

On December 6, the President signed the appointment papers of former senator Panfilo Lacson as the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery. As rehabilitation czar, Lacson will act as the “overall manager and coordinator of rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction efforts of government departments, agencies and instrumentalities in the affected areas.”

The media are continuing to report on relief operations, the extent of devastation, the casualties and other effects of the disaster, and government preparation and rehabilitation plans. But to be able to provide timely information that will prepare everyone and communities to mitigate the impact of disaster, the media and government must learn to work together and establish a framework of communication and information sharing.

First step, the government’s policy in disaster management and risk reduction, write stories about certain weather phenomena, and report them in a way that the public can understand. Information is crucial especially during crisis situations. It’s been said before, but needs reiteration: the media can either help, or thwart efforts in preparing citizens for disasters such as Yolanda. If the media’s performance before, during and after the disaster is any indication, while they did do much, they still need to do more.

Yolanda has sharpened the learning curve for all sectors.

The crash of communication technology suggests an immediate priority—to strengthen the infrastructure of cellular networks as well as the Internet in the Philippines, to find ways of more speedily restoring service, because it is critical to rescue operations.

Media should always learn from past experience, but climate change and the unprecedented magnitude of recent disasters signal a new level of learning. The media mind set needs to break away from the passive, reactive mode and re-evaluate its role as information provider.

The customary mutual distrust that colors the relationship between media and government must give way to establish a level of “critical collaboration”—if only to help the public to develop a new mind set about shared responsibilities in dealing with disasters yet to come.