From: Irving Goh [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 26 April 2005 08:02
To: John Armitage
Subject: UPI: Is Technology Boon or Bane for Media

Is Technology Boon Or Bane For Media?

http://www.spacewar.com/news/cyberwar-05k.html

by Harbaksh Singh Nanda
Almaty, Kazakhstan (UPI) Apr 25, 2005

With the scale of terrorism growing and with round-the-clock television news coverage, the media are getting less time to react to situations and there is growing pressure on journalists to get it fast and get it right, attendees at a media conference said.

Journalists, politicians and government officials at the fourth Eurasian Media Forum in Almaty wondered if the advent of modern technology was a boon or a bane for reporters covering terrorist incidents. Several journalists at the meeting recounted their experiences while caught between authorities, terrorists and a breaking news story.

Jonathan Charles of the BBC, who covered the school siege in Beslan, Russia, last year, said terrorists had become so media savvy the day was not far when they would want go live on air to spell out their demands.

"They have the latest technology, including camera-equipped mobile phones and satellite phones, and very soon they may send the video clips to the Television channels to air those to save the lives of hostages," he said.

Terrorists are becoming part of media by supplying video clips to television channels and because of the media competition, most channels end up airing their footage.

Mithat Bereket of NTV channel in Turkey who has covered many terrorist incidents, said new technology had also put pressure on the government to be more candid.

"The governments must release the true and correct information because it will be out sooner or later anyway," he said.

When governments don't provide accurate information, the media have to rely on whatever they can, he said, adding the objectivity of the reporting during such incidents depends on the reporters on the scene.

"You have to decide if no news is better than the lives of the hostages," he said.

Charles said Russian authorities lied about the number of hostages in Beslan. While local media reported 400 hostages, international media knew the government was lying because of the number of parents waiting outside the seized school.

"You can control the national press but not the global media in today's information age," he said, adding the media must only use only those pictures of hostages where captives are treated with dignity.

Michael Gordon, publisher of New York Times, said violence over the past four years was nothing compared to the events of World War II, but the speed of dissemination of information had made the difference while covering terrorist acts. A lack of accurate government information, he said, could also lead to rumors. He cited the example of a rumor following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that wrongly said Jews knew about the impending attack and were asked to stay away from work in the World Trade Center that day.

Vitaliy Tretyakov, president of the International anti-terror Media Forum, said Russia did err in meeting challenges of dissemination of information in Beslan, but any government in the same situation would be trying to save the lives of hostages rather than conducting a media-relations exercise.

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense, Richard Perle said that: "Like governments, terrorists have come to use the media to put their views across to the world."

He said governments should not control the media that cover such incidents but a caution can always be issued if authorities feel the dissemination of some information can benefit the interests of terrorists.

He cited the U.S. example where restraint or caution is sometimes issued to editors over some news events.

"We do not manipulate media coverage. We do not have legal powers to control media but we do issue restraint calls," Perle said.

Perle said a trend was emerging where journalists were invited by terrorists to cover impending incidents. He could not substantiate the charge but asked how many cameras were out accidentally where incidents have occurred.

Charles said the new technology was a double-edged sword for the media. It does make it easy to report but can put a reporter in a tight spot where he maybe asked by a terrorist to go live on air or else.

More than 300 politicians, diplomats, academicians and journalists from international media attended the fourth chapter of annual Eurasian Media Forum organized in the financial capital of Kazakhstan. The Forum seeks to promote East-West cooperation and international understanding of Eurasian issues through dialogue between the media, the business community, politicians and academics.

Other issues discussed included tsunami coverage, the revolutions in Central Asia, the role of Arab media and AIDS reporting.