Conflict of interest?

Negros Occidental was rocked by the news of radio broadcaster Bambi Yngson's shooting the past two days. Here's the story written by our editor Carla Gomez. The head of the task force created by President Arroyo to look into the threats on journalists and activists, Col. Geary Barias, has linked the attack on Yngson to his job as a radio commentator. The version of the perpetrator, written by Patrick Pangilinan can also be read here.

Being a journalist, I join the entire profession in condemning the attacks against my colleagues, equivalent to a direct assault on press freedom.

In the case of Yngson, however, the question still lingers: Did the entire reason of the attack was because he is a mediaman and his commentaries have irked people in the Land Transportation Office?

If the attack on Yngson is taken at face-value, you can conclude that it was his scathing remarks on his program that may have made him a target of his attacker.

Yngson, however, is not free of liability. Sources said that the reason why Yngson has been directing his commentaries against the LTO is that he owns a number of Vans-for-Hire, which do not have a franchise to operate. This, however, has yet to be verified. But if its true, there is a conflict of interest on the part of Yngson. Because of his position as a radio commentator, he obviously has an undue advantage and the power to call the LTO's attention. But hey, personal interest and public interest are two different things.

It is my hope that the conflict of interest angle on the attack on journalist can be looked at, even before statements are issued. Although the life of a person remains paramount, I beleive the integrity of journalism as a profession should also be protected at a time when ethical issues have become so tricky to deal with because of financial reasons and the lack of professionalism.