A couple of weeks ago, more than 800 Russians got a terrible surprise when they decided to go out and spend the evening at the theater. Instead of seeing their desired program, the audience became hostages to Chechen rebels. The rebels threatened to bomb the theater if their demands were not met.
The Russian government was in a jam. It needed a way to get rid of the terrorists while hurting the least amount of hostages. After careful deliberations, the government decided to spray gas into the theater, paralyzing those inside. Unfortunately, the gas also led to the death of 117 hostages – not including the rebels. Not to mention, about 200 hostages were sent to the hospital, and 15 were considered to be in critical condition.
The government could have thought out a better plan to try saving the hostages. But it didn’t use all of its available resources. The government ignored their No. 1 resource – the media.
Russian lawmakers have been looking at ways to curb the news media. After all the international attention the hostage situation received worldwide, lawmakers didn’t want the media to be able to get all of the facts. The Russian government officials want to tighten restrictions facing broadcasters.
After the hostage situation had ended, police officers didn’t want the media to know what kind of gas they had used. It wasn’t until four days after the event that the media finally learned that a fetanyl-based substance, which was based on an opiate, had been used to paralyze everyone. The antidote drug, naxoline, had to be applied in a short time. With about 800 hostages, many people did not receive the antidote in time, and as a result, many choked to death.
Some say the Russians did the right thing. Even though lives were lost, 117 doesn’t compare to the 800 that could have been killed during a bomb explosion.
The guerillas had even wanted to communicate through television. In fact, one station even had the chance to go into the theater and interview the rebels. If the government officials were wise, they could have used the opportunity to talk to the guerillas. However, the Russian government didn’t want anything to do with the media. In fact, the government even took one of the stations off the air.
Instead of trying to limit the media’s freedom, the Russian government should try to work with it. In a place where media restriction is already a popular trend, adding more limitations could be detrimental to the country.
People should be able to have the real information – not a news package the government manufactures. And in this situation, if the government had let the media help out, some kind of deal could have been made with the rebels. Perhaps another strategy could have been planned, and lives may have been saved.
