International Terrorism as Local News

                                                                                Screengrab from GMA News and Public Affairs YouTube account

MORE THAN 120 people were killed in the coordinated attacks in six locations by the international terrorist group Islamic State (IS) on November 13 in Paris. The ruthless killings sent a chilling effect across the globe, prompting French President François Hollande to vow revenge and declare war on the perpetrators.

The international media, as expected, were consistent in reporting the attacks as well as other terrorist threats. These reports, usually by wire agencies such as  Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters, were also published and reported by the local news media.

The Philippine press, however, fell short in localizing news on international terrorism, leaving Filipinos out of the loop and without a deeper understanding of how the actions of groups such as the IS affects all of us.

Shock, Condemnations

CMFR monitored three broadsheets (Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer and The Philippine Star), three prime time news programs (GMA-7’s 24 Oras, ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol and TV5’s Aksyon) and selected news websites from November 15 to December 10.

Reports on the Paris attacks landed on the front pages of the Bulletin, the Inquirer and the Star on November 15 and 16. The reports that followed were mostly about the shock, reactions, condemnations and messages of solidarity with France, as well as the response of world leaders to the incident. But these were syndicated from the AFP, AP, Reuters and other international media such as The New York Times.

It should also be noted that there were already reports in the local press on the IS and other terrorist threats in the days prior to the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila and the Paris attacks. These reports, however, were more in the context of  the security measures being implemented by the Philippine government in anticipation of the arrival of foreign delegates and economic leaders.

With the exception of the first two days, the local coverage of the attacks was relegated to the inside pages and was drowned out by news about other events such as the APEC Summit.

For instance, in the Star’s banner story on November 29, Malacañang assured the public there was no substantial IS threat in the country despite reports that the group already has sympathizers in Mindanao (“Palace: No credible ISIS threat in Phl”).

The assurance came following a clash between the troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and eight armed men who had IS flags in their possession in Palimbang town, Sultan Kudarat (“8 gunmen carrying ISIS flags killed in clash in Sultan Kudarat town,” November 26, 2015).

Also related were reports on Cotabato City Mayor Japal Guiani Jr.’s claim that at least a thousand residents, some of them from the youth sector, were training with the self-declared terrorist group Ansar Khalifah Philippines (AKP) and have allied with the IS. The AFP downplayed the claim due to lack of solid proof. Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the 6^th Infantry Division based in Mindanao, said the presence of IS flags in the AKP was not enough to conclude that the IS had, indeed, reached Mindanao (“Cotabato City mayor raises alarm over ISIS recruitment,” December 2, 2015).

Global Issue

International terrorism, particularly the brutal and destructive activities of the Islamic State, is a global issue that must be reported on and discussed by all media.

But perhaps because IS and its actions have not directly affected the Philippines yet, reports on it have been devoid of the much needed context and discussion that would make it  locally significant. The news articles were dependent on the information the international news media provided. Not surprisingly, the broader frame and context, if any, were left to the foreign press to tackle .

To address this deficiency in local coverage, the Philippines press could publish reports that, for one, could provide background on the country’s experience with local terrorism and, for another, discuss the presence of IS and its impact in Southeast Asia. Such reportage would help localize the issue and, hopefully, also make the matter more understandable to the public.

Exceptions

One notable piece that did a thorough discussion on the matter is “ISIS’ global ambitions and plans for Southeast Asia,” an op-ed published on November 18 in Rappler’s “Thought Leaders” section. In the article, Rappler’s Maria Ressa provided a backgrounder on the history of the IS terror attacks, going back as far as Al-Qaeda. A section of the article also attempted to make a connection between the IS and local terrorist groups here.

A commentary, “The war against ISIS,” published in the Inquirer on December 1 provided an insight into the war on the Islamic State. Although it did not discuss the matter in relation to the Philippines, the piece did talk about how the IS came to be, how world leaders responded, and why terrorism does not seem to die out.

The IS threat is a more complex issue than it would seem. Localizing this global problem poses a challenge to the Philippine press, but it must be done. If the media were to inform and educate the public on this pressing concern, they must go beyond the common practice of just focusing on whether there were any Filipinos involved — as in the case of reporting disasters and conflict overseas — when localizing international news. While there were attempts to bring the issue closer to home,  the information, context and explanations in local coverage were still generally inadequate for something so important.