Bill Kovach: Journalist for democracy<\/p>\n
Bambang M, Contributor, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
For seasoned journalist Bill Kovach -- dubbed as \"the conscience
\nof U.S. journalism\" -- journalism is not only a profession, it's
\na sacred mission.<\/p>\n
\"I want to help the majority of people that cannot voice their
\nown interests,\" he said. That's why, perhaps, he has persistently
\nheld on to the correct principles of journalism.<\/p>\n
As he was growing up, Kovach, now 72, witnessed the injustices
\nthat the people around him, such as the African-Americans and
\nimmigrants like his own family, were subjected to. He is
\nconvinced that these injustices will disappear if journalists
\nexpose them in their news reports.<\/p>\n
Kovach, who now resides in Chevy Chase, the United States, was
\nborn to Albanian immigrant parents.<\/p>\n
The veteran journalist recently became the center of attention
\nin discussions held by newspeople in a number of Indonesian
\ncities.<\/p>\n
With colleague Tom Rosenstiel, he wrote The Element of
\nJournalism: What newspeople should know and the public should
\nexpect, in 2001.<\/p>\n
To some, this book is considered a holy book for journalists
\nin these modern times where democracy, corruption, human rights,
\nviolence, credibility and many other sophisticated terms are
\noften used and practiced in the daily lives of journalists --
\nsurpassing the vintage words like conscience, affection, peace
\nand sense.<\/p>\n
Roy Peter Clark of The Poynter Institute has said that this
\nbook is \"the most important book on journalism and democracy in
\nthe past fifty years.\"<\/p>\n
The book has been translated into Indonesia and ten other
\nlanguages. It also won the Goldsmith Book Prize from Harvard
\nUniversity.<\/p>\n
In conjunction with its launching, Pantau magazine, in
\ncooperation with the United States Embassy in Indonesia and the
\nInstitute for the Free Flow of Information (ISAI), invited Kovach
\nto come to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The husband of Lynne Stamm, and father of four and grandfather
\nof six, agreed to a long tour covering Medan, Surabaya,
\nYogyakarta, Jakarta and Bali -- where he took time to drop by in
\nlocal newspaper offices and held discussions with journalists on
\ndemocracy and the work of journalists.<\/p>\n
\"Kovach is one of the world's foremost thinkers on journalism
\ntoday,\" said Pantau's chief editor Andreas Harsono, who
\naccompanied Kovach during his visit to Indonesia, when giving a
\nfew introductory words during a recent discussion in Kedai Kebun,
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>\n
The former Washington bureau chief of the New York Times won
\nthe Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award for his dedication. To many
\nyounger journalists, he has become the role model of a true
\njournalist who persistently upholds his credibility and idealism.<\/p>\n
\"I've spent most of my life promoting journalism of a better
\nquality and ensuring that democracy will survive and will not
\nbuckle under the government's pressure or economic power,\" Kovach
\nstated.<\/p>\n
A founder of the Committee of Concerned Journalists (CCJ), an
\ninstitution working to promote better U.S. journalism, Kovach is
\nwell known for his warmth. He's also the curator of the Nieman
\nFoundation for Journalism at Harvard University.<\/p>\n
Kovach is of the opinion that the main goal of journalism is
\nto provide information to the public so that they can lead a free
\nlife and take care of themselves.<\/p>\n
It is at this juncture that journalism assumes great
\nsignificance to a democratic life, which is built upon the
\nassumption that the public can take care of themselves, not on
\nthe notion that they must be taken care of by a centralistic
\npolitical power.<\/p>\n
\"Journalism and democracy go hand in hand,\" said Kovach, who
\nserved on the panel of judges for the Pulitzer Prize from 1987 to
\n1990.<\/p>\n
In every discussion he always stresses that in the absence of
\njournalism, public opinion will be stunted and, as a result, the
\npublic will fail to take care of themselves.<\/p>\n
\"The book contains not only normative rules but also provides
\nconcrete examples. This is the advantage of the book,\" said Lukas
\nIspandrio, a communications lecturer from Atma Jaya University,
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Back in 1997, 25 noted American journalists gathered at the
\nHarvard Faculty Club, Cambridge. They were concerned about what
\nthey saw as the poor quality of news products in their country.<\/p>\n
These people then set up the CCJ and agreed to conduct a
\nsurvey among journalists and the public to find out what
\njournalism was really all about. The result of this survey, which
\nshed light on the universal principles of journalism, led to the
\nwriting of The Elements of Journalism by Kovach and Rosenstiel,
\nwho had previously jointly written Warp Speed: America in the Age
\nof Mixed Media.<\/p>\n
Journalism, according to Kovach, is the most important
\noccupation in the world. In the hands of journalists that are
\nknowledgeable about and respect the interests of the public,
\njournalism can encourage people to become involved in the
\ngovernment affairs of their countries.<\/p>\n
\"I hope journalists all over the world can unite to save
\ndemocracy on this planet,\" said Kovach, who was awarded an
\nhonorary doctorate from Colby College.<\/p>\n
Kovach strongly adheres to the principles of journalism,
\ngiving the example that if any of his children committed a crime,
\nhe would himself write about if in the same way that he would
\nwrite about other people.<\/p>\n
\"I have told all my children that they may do anything as long
\nas they are ready to read something about it in the newspaper. I
\nbelieve this is the best regulation of life,\" said Kovach.<\/p>",
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