Disrespecting the deceased

JEERS TO several media organizations for their gory reports on a crime involving a  minor.

The Manila Bulletin, The Manila Times, Interaksyon.com, TV5’s Aksyon and GMA 7’s 24 Oras identified by his real name a nine year-old child who was allegedly beheaded in Hagonoy, Bulacan on May 30. ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol, however, used an alias.

All three news programs also showed blurred photographs of the child’s corpse. Aksyon and TV Patrol even showed another blurred photograph of the boy’s severed head.

The broadcast reports also included interviews with the child’s grieving father. 24 Oras showed an emotionally-charged confrontation between the father and the suspect in the police station where the latter was detained.

The Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) Broadcast Code prohibits the identification of minors in reports. As stated in Article 3, Section 4:

“The right to privacy of children must always be respected. Since undue publicity or wrong labeling can cause harm to them, children who are victims of abuse or in conflict with the law shall not be identified, directly or indirectly. Any information that might cause them to be identified shall not be aired.”

The CMFR Ethics Manual also recognizes the right to dignity of victims, especially in death. On the use of photographs, it is stated in the CMFR Ethics Manual:

“Do not photograph or use photos of minors as victims or suspects.” (p.66)

It is also written in the manual:

“Do not use photos or any visual depiction of confrontations between the victim, the victims’ family and the accused in police stations and other law enforcement agencies.” (pp. 66-67)

This is not the first time that media produced reports that disrespected the dignity of victims. CMFR has previously monitored reports that exposed the identity of a minor and showed gory photographs of crime scenes. (“Careless and reckless,” June 3, 2014; “Crime as public spectacle,” May 26, 2014)