Posted at 7:28 pm March 2: Hostage-taker and officially designated negotiator talking to each other is good (should be NO INTERVENTION from the media or the public). Make sure the hostage-taker’s phone does not run out of charge or load. Do not cut off communication lines to each other. The media and the public should be aware of the KBP strict guidelines on reporting in hostage-taking situations (quoted here in the previous post) and heed all instructions from the PNP on what info to broadcast /post / disseminate. It has been nine hours since the hostage-taking started. So far, the PNP negotiator has proceeded correctly, at least as of this posting 7:28pm. The big news organizations such as ABS-CBN, GMA 7 News, ABC 5, Inquirer, are proceeding with correct caution and restraint. Rappler, not too much (sorry, guys, please be more careful in releasing names and other details. Lives are more important than number of views : There are 31 lives hanging on the balance).
The so-called “troop-ship exception” to the illegality of prior restraint allows government, in time of war, or a situation “tantamount to war” to control the publication or airing/ broadcast of information on the movement of troops or deployment of ships etc.
Newspeg: “An audio recording believed to be those of two German hostages of the Abu Sayyaf has them appealing to both the Philippine and Germany governments “to do all they can” to get them out of captivity “as soon as possible” and anxious over their medical condition on top of the threat to their lives”. (News TV 5 and Interaksyon). (this podcast plays automatically)
(5 seconds of intro music from “The Hurt Locker” used here non-commercially for academic purposes).
