by ALTERMIDYA INTERNS

“Do no harm.”

Journalist Jamela Alindogan said that this is the principle that guides her in covering conflict stories. “Do no harm to your sources, to the community, to yourself.” 

Alindogan and veteran journalist Ed Lingao were speakers in a media forum titled Focus Palestine: Accuracy, Balance and Representation in Covering Wars and Armed Conflict. In the forum, the two discussed how journalists ethically and fairly cover wars and political conflicts. 

The said principle is one of the core tenets of journalism, especially in relation to vulnerable people, such as Palestinians under siege in Gaza.

“Conflict reporting is a difficult job,” said Lingao, and so journalists have to always be mindful of how their reports affect vulnerable people. 

“(But) in covering conflict over the years, we (the media) have regressed,” Lingao added. He also said that there is also the prevailing “romanticization” of conflict reporting. In the end, complex political issues surrounding conflicts are often overly “simplified.”

The discussions focused on the current Israel-Palestine conflict, and how reporting, for example, on the Palestinian side can often lead to the reporter being branded as “anti-semitic” or “anti-Jew.” 

Pastor Alan Rey Sarte of the Philippine-Palestine Friendship Association explained that the conflict is essentially one between an occupying force in Israel and an occupied people in Palestine. 

 “What is happening (in Palestine) is not a religious war. It’s not even a war. It’s murder. It’s genocide,” said Sarte. He added that journalists should always present the context of current conflicts. 

The current conflict between Palestine and Israel, for instance, did not begin on October 7, but 75 years ago, with the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands in 1948.

OFWs affected

Evelyn Corgolio, a repatriated Filipino from Gaza who witnessed the war first hand, was present in the forum. She recounted her experiences in evacuating from Gaza when the bombings of Israel began. 

She said that her family attempted to cross the border thrice. During the first try, they were not allowed to leave Gaza because the names of her husband and child were not included in the list of people allowed to leave. 

During the second attempt, her husband’s name still was not included. It was during the third try that they were all allowed to leave. 

What made it more difficult was the fact that Evelyn’s son had Down’s Syndrome with special needs.

“Pagka-andyan na ang pasabog, tatakbo kaming lahat sa corner…May kapitbahay kami na pinasabugan. Nabasag ang mga window namin. Nahirapan ako sa anak ko na Down’s Syndrome kasi takot ka takot na siya,” Evelyn said. 

(“When the bombing starts, we run to the corner. We have a neighbor who was hit. Our windows were shattered. I had a hard time with my child who has Down’s Syndrome, because the child was terrified.”)

They evacuated in such a rush that they left most of their belongings in their homes in Gaza. Upon arriving in Manila, Corgolio and fellow refugees had a hard time securing accommodation. 

‘For whom do we report?’

Not only civilians are affected by the war. Journalists who cover the carnage and destruction in Gaza are also being targeted, hurt or killed in the conduct of their work. 

As of this writing, at least 57 journalist deaths have been recorded in Gaza.

Of the 57 journalists killed, 50 were Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Eleven journalists, meanwhile, have been reported injured, 19 have been arrested and three were reported missing.

Alindogan and Lingao said that the journalists must continue to do their jobs in conflict areas despite the risks. 

In order to strengthen their resolve to report the truth, Lingao reminded reporters, editors, and producers to always reflect on who must serve their reports. 

“Who am I doing this for? Am I doing this for myself, for my social media profile, for the antagonists that the people are fighting, or for the people who have no choice but to be their own fight?” he added.

With reports from Adriana David, Jacqueline Dejesa, Angelica Nazario, Jill Nicole Santiago, Letizia Balanag, Danica Espedillon, and Andrea Shayne Garcia