Palace calls for positive, sober reporting

Malacañang on Sunday called for “positive" and “sober" media coverage of the problems besetting the Arroyo administration. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said media should “think about what is best for the country, and not on news that would alarm the people." Ermita said media should focus on the soldiers who remained loyal and not on those who broke away from the chain of command. He said media should congratulate Armed Forces chief Gen. Generoso Senga for resolving the AFP crisis. “Tapos sasabihin nila pinag-iinitan namin ang media.... Iyong iba diyan hindi na talaga news but out and out propaganda," Ermita said. “Anyway, we allow the media to interview fugitives, but [media] shouldn’t be part of the crime," he said. He also said media should regulate itself, and guidelines are needed to minimize the risk of alarming the public. -GMANews.TV