Aside from the botched police operation, failed negotiation and unnecessary commands by officials the media was also criticized.

An initial investigation by Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) and Malacañang the task of examining media’s conduct during the live coverage eventually fell on the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and made a fine for ABS-CBN and TV5 worth P30,00.00 each as they aired the live positioning of the police who take actions to save the hostages.

The KBP also fined the RMN-DZXL and broadcaster Michael Rogas worth P15,000.00 and Erwin Tulfo P15,000.00 for long interview with the hostage taker Rolando Mendoza.