Aggressive coverage brings ire of relatives and the GIO

Responding to what it says were complaints from the victims' families, the Government Information Office (GIO) yesterday pleaded with the media not to take photos or tape video footage of the bodies of those killed in Saturday's China Airlines disaster.

The victims' families, media watchdogs and communications scholars have been critical of the local media coverage of the crash. The action is the GIO's first attempt to force local media to observe what it regards as a minimum level of respect for the victims and their families.

"The GIO appeals to the media to consider the sadness of the victims' families and to please pass on the message of not filming or taking photos of the victims' bodies on Penghu," an announcement issued to all news organizations said.

Over the past three days, the five main cable TV channels have offered round-the-clock coverage of the crash, while newspapers spent on average seven to eight pages for coverage of the catastrophe. Camera crews and photographers have been fighting hard to find material to fill the space, even though most victims' families refuse to be interviewed.

Many of the families at the CKS airport screamed at TV camera crews Saturday night, asking them to stop filming, but most of the crews ignored the requests and instead followed the incredulous families around.

Cable channels also broadcast a fight between families of Hong Kong victims and a TV photographer at the airport, after the photographer similarly ignored his request to stop taping.

Footage of families screaming and crying has been broadcast repeatedly and TV reporters have continued to ruthlessly question families about their emotions after the crash.

One of the TV reporters even interviewed a victims' child by asking "Do you know where your father is? Do you know when he is coming back?"

Lu Shih-xiang (盧世祥), an adviser to the Association of Taiwan Journalists said yesterday, "Prior to becoming reporters, journalists were ordinary citizens and they should therefore have sympathy and respect for the victims and their families," Lu said

Lu added that local media coverage has been disgraceful and he wonders why media organizations can't improve the quality of their news coverage.

Kuo Li-hsin (郭力昕), a lecturer in the Department of Radio and Television at National Chengchi University, echoed Lu's critiques by saying that the media's penchant for sensationally manipulating emotions is out of date.

Yen Chih-ching (嚴智徑), the ETTV's editor in chief, said that he had asked the TV station's reporters to avoid sensational footage.

"We should feel the pain of the victims' families and I believe that emotional footage should not be broadcast," Yen said.