Point and Shoot: 20 Steps to Safety

2 MIN READ

By ARTEMIO A. DUMLAO

On Dec. 19, the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines – perhaps the largest journalist group in the country with over 30 provincial chapters nationwide – launched its 20 Steps to Safety campaign back-to-back with the Media Guide on HIV/AIDS Reporting at the Newsdesk Café in Quezon City, in Subic, and also in Iloilo City.

With the number of Filipino journalists being killed each year, safety training and awareness are a must to keep journalists safe and alive, NUJP Chairman Jose Torres Jr. said during the launch.

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The Media Safety Office of the NUJP and the 500,000-member International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) formally launched the poster and reporter’s notebook, which both contain what are called 20 Steps to Safety. They contain practical tips and other useful information for journalists facing threats or covering sensitive issues or dangerous areas.

One of the first things to do when a journalist receives a death threat, according to 20 Steps, is to “document the exact wording and circumstances by which the threats, direct or veiled, were received including the time, date and persons involved.”

20 Steps advised, when a journalist had received threats before and the incident remains unsolved, to “inform your editors, colleagues and family where you are going, your intended time of arrival and expected return and check it frequently.”

At least 14 journalists were killed this year, and 85 since 1986, according to the NUJP.

Torres noted that many of the slain journalists received threats before they were killed. He appealed to Filipino journalists to take seriously whatever type of threats they receive and to take the necessary precautions.

The reporters’ notebook and poster are available at the IFJ-NUJP Media Safety Office, while local NUJP chapters may also be contacted for copies.

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The Media Guide for HIV/AIDS Reporting, Torres said, contains useful information for journalists that would help them in their coverage of HIV/AIDS cases and related issues. “It provides basic information on HIV/AIDS, suggests possible story approaches, defines commonly used medical terms and corrects common mistakes. Most of all, it stresses sensitive and ethical reporting, particularly when interviewing persons living with HIV/AIDS.”

This guide is the culmination of a year-long project that included the holding of eight training workshops attended by a total of almost 200 journalists from different parts of the country. Workshops were held in Pampanga, Subic, Sorsogon, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao, Zamboanga and Batangas.

The project also included research on Philippine media’s reporting of HIV/AIDS, the results of which are also in the media guide.

The Philippine project is part of a six-country IFJ project aimed at improving reporting of HIV/AIDS in Africa and Asia, supported by the Swedish trade union movement, the LO-TCO. The project’s six target countries are Cambodia, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Zambia.

“While they may seem unrelated, both actually address very important issues that journalists should be concerned with – journalists’ safety and accurate and sensitive reporting,” said Torres, adding, “we hope these two initiatives will result in greater safety awareness among Filipino journalists as well as improved coverage of the HIV/AIDS situation in the country.”

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This is for me untimely because, as I write this column, I received a report that a Batac town, Ilocos Norte broadcaster was stabbed several times and died. What a way to spend Christmas.

But anyway: Merry Christmas To All, and May We Have Peace In Everybody’s Heart And Joy In Every Family. Most Of All Peace And Justice To The Filipino Nation. #