The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has urged state media to exercise the highest level of caution in reporting incidents involving minors and appealed to private media organizations to make sure their coverage protects the dignity, safety and privacy of minors and their bereaved families.
In a statement, PCO Secretary Dave Gomez said the agency would not impose restrictions on private media organizations but appealed to them to exercise care and responsibility, particularly when covering sensitive cases involving minors.
“We reiterate our position that in incidents involving minors, all state media must exercise the highest level of caution in how such tragedies are reported,” Gomez said.
He urged media organizations to avoid details that could compromise the dignity, safety and privacy of minors and their families, as well as information that could affect ongoing response and investigation efforts.
“We will not impose restrictions on private media organizations; however, we respectfully appeal to them to exercise extreme care and responsibility in their coverage,” Gomez added.
Gomez also cautioned against reporting details that could encourage copycat acts.
“In particular, we ask for restraint in reporting that may compromise the dignity, safety, and privacy of minors, the bereaved families, and the ongoing response and investigation efforts, and to avoid details that may encourage copycat acts,” he said.
Gomez stressed the importance of responsible reporting in sensitive cases involving minors, particularly in protecting vulnerable individuals and their families while authorities continue their response and investigation.IMT
