Against Terrorist Interview

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Against Terrorist Interview

• By Simon Leung

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War Against Terror

• As Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said
  after 911 terrorist attacks, This will be a war
  none other our nation has faced.
• Although no black and white declaration of war
  has sent to the terrorists, the country is
  engaged in a war with a ruthless enemy.

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Imagine

• Did the responsible news organization would
  permit a Nazi death camp commander to spew his
  brand of hate?
• Should the Japan Emperor have been given airtime
  to explain Pearl Harbor to the American people?

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Answer

• The answer is definitely NO.

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War Against Terrorism

• Now comes the war against terrorism.
• There is no question that bin Laden is the leader
  of the terrorist network that killed all those
  innocent people in New York and Washington.
• What is the idea of giving the enemy time to
  expound his viewpoint over airwaves?

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Citizens Obligations

• When a country get into a war, countrys citizens
  and institutions, including the news media, have
  certain obligations.
• Ratings and sale volumes are not more important
  than the security of country.

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Woodruffs Answer

• July Woodruff, a CNN reporter once discussed the
  status of reporter and mass media after the 911
  incident. She said, Is it citizen first and
  then journalist? Is it journalist first and then
  citizen? In my view its a citizen first you
  cant stop being an American at the same time.

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Russia Case

• At 4th-10th November 2002, Heads of the Media
  Industrial Committee, the Media Union and the
  Union of Journalists held an urgent meeting on
  5th November to discuss the Press Ministrys
  advice on coverage of terror attacks.

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Mass Media Should Not Became Mouthpieces

• Mikhail Fyodorov, secretary of the Union of
  Journalists, former Press Minister and an author
  of the existing Mass Media Law, set the tone of
  discussion.
• Human rights, liberty and democracy should not
  fall victim of terrorism fighting, he argued.

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TBC

• On the other hand, mass media should not become
  terrorist mouthpieces, he agreed. It is up to the
  journalistic community to work out rules of roads
  to be followed in extreme situations.
• He emphasized, Lives are more important than the
  right to information. If you understand that your
  words could worsen the hostages situation, then
  you should shut up.

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Russia Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations

• There are at least three parties to every terror
  attack, the terrorists, special services
  confronting them and the victims. As a rule, both
  the terrorists and special services plan in
  advance the way they will handle mass media
  because their public image is important for them.
  Both try to use journalists for their own
  designs, especially the terrorists, because the
  terrorists have seldom chances to expose at the
  mass media.

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Principles of Behavior of Journalists

• Finally, the Federative Council of the Russian
  Union of Journalists approved Ethical
  principles of professional behavior of
  journalists while covering acts of terrorism and
  counter-terrorist operations draft.

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Reporter Should

• Not take interviews from terrorists during
  committing by them terrorist act.
• Make all efforts not to become a mouthpiece for
  expressing views and programs of terrorists
  activities, remembering that terrorist acts can
  never be justified by any motives.
• Avoid a live broadcasting of interviews with
  terrorists because, besides other reasons, such a
  broadcasting could be used by terrorists to
  transmit secret signals to their members.

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Britain Case

• The British, who have faced the terror tactics of
  the Irish Republican Army (IRA) for several
  years, have come to conclusion that terrorists
  must be denied publicity. Hence, under the
  Emergency Provisions Act of 1991, they imposed a
  total ban on the publication, broadcast of any
  statements by or interviews with terrorist
  organizations.

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Argument

• Publicity is like oxygen for the terrorists.
  Without the media, they cannot claim credit for
  their actions. The publicity also helps them to
  create a climate of fear.
• The ban on reporting the views and opinions of
  terrorists does not mean media censorship, for
  they are free to report facts and incidents one
  is only seeking to stop propaganda.
• Terrorists follow no rules and deserve no freedom
  of expression for they believe in speaking
  through guns.

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Laden is Media Savvy

• One month after the 911 incident, CNN submitted
  six questions to bin Laden and the latter sent
  back a videotape.
• Syracuse University Professor Bob Thompson noted
  that bin Laden and his group are very media
  savvy, and have been directing and producing
  show

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Waved Two Rules

• Two basic tenets of journalism hold that
  reporters should not submit questions to an
  interview subject to advance, and should have the
  opportunity to ask follow-up questions. CNN
  waived both preconditions and drew criticism
  from others in the media.

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Thompsons Opinion

• Thompson said, In the old days a terrorist had
  to take over a broadcast tower to get their
  message out. Now there is this notion that you
  can send a mere video tape, and the mere notion
  that it came from the enemy, it is regarded
  newsworthy.

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Weyrichs Opinion

• Paul Weyrich, columnist and head of the Free
  Congress Foundation also argued As a journalist
  by profession, I can tell you that one of the
  first things you are taught is you NEVER give
  questions in advance to a political or
  governmental figure before an interview. You
  might agree on the topic areas to be covered. But
  specific questions? Absolutely not.

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Fox News Channel Response

• Fox News Channel Spokeswoman said the network
  would not agreed to the terms of interview.

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Video Content

• Indeed the content was quite disappointed.
  Instead of answering the questions, bin Laden
  just used 15 or 20 minutes to speak out his
  anti-American opinion and ended in a call to go
  out and kill Americans.
• This is a propaganda but not news.

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Hidden Message

• Bushs government always urges the media should
  not broadcast the terrorists interview because
  there may be the next attack order and message
  hidden in the interview. After the Al Qaeda or
  the related organization launched attacks at
  Indonesia, Philippines and Africa, it sounds
  reasonable that Laden might make use of the
  interviews.

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Expert Analysis

• Retired CIA expert Cannistraro pointed out,
  Laden wore the same jacket when ABC interviewed
  him in 1998 and two months later bombing in the
  east American embassies took place.
• During WWII, resistance forces inside
  Nazi-occupied France knew to listen for coded
  phrases in the speeches of Winston Churchill
  broadcast over the BBC.

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Conclusion

• It is a war against terrorism
• Media should not be made use by the terrorists
• Nowadays, most of the terrorists interviews are
  against the basic concepts of journalism
• There might be hidden message in the interview