Phnom Penh Post's Use of Unsubstantiated Sources is Negligent and Potentially Harmful
July 21st 2008 09:05
PHNOM PENH POST’S USE OF UNSUBSTANTIATED SOURCES IS NEGLIGENT AND POTENTIALLY HARMFUL
The Phnom Penh Post commonly and irresponsibly use quotes from unidentified sources, but amidst rising tension between Thai and Cambodia troops over Preah Vihear Temple their most recent use of a statement made by an unidentified “senior Cambodian military commander” is negligent and potentially harmful. According to the article Tensions Rise Ahead of Crisis Talks* an unidentified military official claimed that “the Thais were massing troops across the border from Anlong Veng in northern Cambodia”. This yet-to-be substantiated claim made by the Phnom Penh Post could further inflame tension between Cambodia and Thailand.
As the Phnom Penh Post has in the past reported on events such as the “Thai Riots” in 2003, migrant shootings along the Thai-Cambodian border and other incidents reflecting the intense tension between these two countries, staff of the Phnom Penh Post should well know the real risks involved in the current situation. Inflammatory claims such as that apparently made by the Phnom Penh Post’s “senior Cambodian military commander” could fuel tension between the involved parties and may even be the point that instigates violence. If this so-far unsubstantiated statement is true, I would hope that the Phnom Penh Post would be respectful enough of the situation to properly verify the statement and report on it with an appropriate understanding of the real risks involved.
Knowing the role the media had in propagating the statements causing the Thai riots in 2003, I plead to the Phnom Penh Post to reconsider flippantly including such unsubstantiated statements in future articles, especially those associated with relatively volatile situations. The Phnom Penh Post needs to report on the news, not cause the news.
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* FOOTNOTE - The article in question can be found online at [LINK=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2008072020270/Online-Edition/Tensions-rise-ahead-of-crisis-talks.html]
The Phnom Penh Post commonly and irresponsibly use quotes from unidentified sources, but amidst rising tension between Thai and Cambodia troops over Preah Vihear Temple their most recent use of a statement made by an unidentified “senior Cambodian military commander” is negligent and potentially harmful. According to the article Tensions Rise Ahead of Crisis Talks* an unidentified military official claimed that “the Thais were massing troops across the border from Anlong Veng in northern Cambodia”. This yet-to-be substantiated claim made by the Phnom Penh Post could further inflame tension between Cambodia and Thailand.
As the Phnom Penh Post has in the past reported on events such as the “Thai Riots” in 2003, migrant shootings along the Thai-Cambodian border and other incidents reflecting the intense tension between these two countries, staff of the Phnom Penh Post should well know the real risks involved in the current situation. Inflammatory claims such as that apparently made by the Phnom Penh Post’s “senior Cambodian military commander” could fuel tension between the involved parties and may even be the point that instigates violence. If this so-far unsubstantiated statement is true, I would hope that the Phnom Penh Post would be respectful enough of the situation to properly verify the statement and report on it with an appropriate understanding of the real risks involved.
Knowing the role the media had in propagating the statements causing the Thai riots in 2003, I plead to the Phnom Penh Post to reconsider flippantly including such unsubstantiated statements in future articles, especially those associated with relatively volatile situations. The Phnom Penh Post needs to report on the news, not cause the news.
_____________________________
* FOOTNOTE - The article in question can be found online at [LINK=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2008072020270/Online-Edition/Tensions-rise-ahead-of-crisis-talks.html]
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Comment by Anonymous
Comment by McGee
Cambodian News
I am not affiliated with the media industry in Cambodia but have lived and worked in Cambodia for long enough to see the potential harm caused by negligent and unethical reporting. I no longer reside in Cambodia. Thank you for reading my blog.
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by McGee
Cambodian News
After receiving your comment, I did manage to get access to both the letter printed in today’s Daily and the article in question. I agree with your comment, the Daily’s incessant use of an unidentified donor source toward the end of the article Progress May Seem Elusive in KR Trials’ First Year was intentionally inflammatory and inappropriate. It is an unfortunate practice of the English-language Cambodian newspaper industry to use unidentified sources to incite news. Please feel free to continue to use this blog to draw attention to any other unethical or negligent practices you may notice in Cambodian news.
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by McGee
Cambodian News
For example, the Phnom Penh Post did manage to find a source for the unsubstantiated and anonymous statement in question in their follow-up article Border Crisis Spirals posted on their website the day after my above critique**. Apparently “Council of Minister spokesman Phay Siphan” had said that troops are massing all along Preah Vihear and Anlong Veng but the Phnom Penh Post simply couldn’t be bothered to have included the source in the first article (despite the potentially inflammatory repercussions of the statement). This was simply lazy journalism.
I agree that it is relatively difficult to get “real news” in a country that has an unscrupulous ability to censor news (evident in the unsolved murders of various people from opposition party media). However, I think it is possible for “real news” to be uncovered in ways other than using unidentified sources. I believe finding these ways is the job of a journalist – even in Cambodia. For example, while no government officials would have voluntarily uncovered the awful human rights violations happening in Koh Kor and Prey Speu government-run detention centres, photos and eye-witness reports from human rights organisations obtained by journalists were able to uncover the “reality” and force the government to respond to hard evidence.***
I encourage journalists to validate unsubstantiated claims when they feel the need to use them in order to expose “real news”. For example, if there is an anonymous official saying that troops are massing near Preah Vihear, journalists should validate it with photos or a non-anonymous source in Preah Vihear who has seen the troops. I don’t think this is too difficult or too much to ask from Cambodia’s media. I think accepting less than this is giving too much power to tabloid media and has the potential to be more damaging than good for the people of Cambodia.
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** FOOTNOTE ** to read the article click on the following link: Really Long Link
***FOOTNOTE*** see the Cambodia Daily’s article Abuse Reports Spur Calls for Centers’ Closure at: Really Long Link and the Phnom Penh Post’s article Poorhouse Purgatory at: Really Long Link