Broadcasters in Manila have come under fire for their coverage of last Monday's tourist bus tragedy in the city, including a lengthy interview the hostage-taker gave to a radio station that tied up his phone line when negotiators were trying to call him.
Just before going on his shooting rampage, Rolando Mendoza was interviewed on his mobile phone by Radio Mindanao Network (RMN).
A reporter from the network told a senate investigation on Thursday the call lasted between 30 and 45 minutes. But yesterday a partial transcript of the interview, conducted in Tagalog, showed announcer Michael Rogas telling listeners they had already been talking to the hostage-taker for the better part of an hour.
The RMN interview was interrupted, but not disconnected, when negotiators brought a letter saying government officials were willing to reconsider Mendoza's dismissal, a note he dismissed as 'garbage'.
The gunman also told RMN the hostages were watching TV. A live newscast of his brother Gregorio being subdued by police enraged him. Shortly afterwards, he opened fire on the hostages. Police later said they were trying to call Mendoza but were unable to reach his mobile phone as well as another phone they had provided.
The Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility said: 'The first imperative is to assume that any hostage-taker, terrorist, etc., is media-savvy enough - and in fact often count on the media to help further their cause - to monitor TV and radio broadcasts.'