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Caddo-Bossier Military and Law Enforcement Agencies' (Last Updated: Oct. 29, 1997)

"Guidelines for Media Coverage of Hostage Negotiations"

The following Guidelines for Hostage Negotiation Coverage were developed by an ad hoc committee comprising both public information officers and news media representatives.

These guidelines are intended to assist both news media personnel and PIOs with "live" news media coverage of hostage negotiation situations and "continuing" coverage as long as the negotiations are on-going.

Except for Items 2. and 4., these guidelines do not apply to "after-the-fact" coverage.

1. Assume the hostage-taker is watching television and/or listening to the radio. If a reporter says things that contradict what the negotiator is telling the hostage-taker, the entire negotiation process breaks down.
2. Never air information obtained from a police scanner. Its accuracy is always in question.
3. Avoid releasing hostage-taker's specific demands, unless asked to do so by the negotiators.
4. Avoid providing any information about tactical police movements or airing video of SWAT Teams' actions or locations. In live-coverage situations or coverage aired while negotiations are still going on, avoid even mentioning that tactical units are on the scene.
5. Avoid characterizing the hostage-taker's state of mind or mentioning things from the hostage-taker's past that might tend to be inflammatory.
6. Avoid being lured into speculation. When a reporter goes live, the anchor should ask him or her only pre-discussed questions. Surprise questions from anchors can elicit inappropriate impromptu answers from reporters who know more about the situation than they can safely talk about.
7. Have a (media) management person on the scene to assist with coverage. If that is not practicable -- nights or weekends, for example -- have a management person identified as being on call to supervise the coverage. Split-second decisions are often critical to covering such situations.
8. Don't mention the fact that "top brass" -- governor, sheriff, military commander, mayor, police chief, etc. -- are at the scene. If the suspect learns of it, the negotiator, who is of lesser rank, will probably lose control of the negotiation.
9. Don't release the condition of victims. Doing so could seriously undermine negotiations. When a hostage-taker learns of the death of a victim, the hostage-taker knows he or she has already committed a capital crime and has little else to lose.
10. Before going live, make the judgment: Is going live of greater benefit to the public than the possibility of the hostages inside being harmed?

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