Chief Justice backs Press Council in dispute settlement<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Chief Justice Bagir Manan has thrown his backing behind the Press
\nCouncil serving as a legally recognized mediation center for
\ndisputes involving media.<\/p>\n
\"I support the idea because it will mean that not all cases
\n(involving the media) are brought to court,\" Bagir said in his
\noffice on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Under the Press Law No. 40\/1999 the council, whose members
\nconsist of journalists, media managers, public figures and media
\nand communications experts, is tasked with safeguarding press
\nfreedom from external intervention, drafting and supervising the
\nimplementation of a Journalistic Code of Ethics and offering
\nconsideration and seeking resolutions of public complaints to
\nnews reports.<\/p>\n
Bagir, who supports out-of-court settlement efforts, told the
\ncouncil to apply for accreditation from the Supreme Court to
\nallow it to serve as a mediation center for disputes involving
\nthe media.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court has approved the formation of a National
\nMediation Center (PMN) to settle commercial disputes in the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
While the council has succeeded in mediating press disputes,
\nsome aggrieved businessmen, including high-profile property
\nmagnate Tomy Winarta, have chosen to bring defamation cases
\nagainst the media to court.<\/p>\n
Separately, Press Council member Hinca Panjaitan said the
\ngrowing number of criminal cases against the press made it all
\nthe more important for the council to serve as a mediation
\ncenter.<\/p>\n
\"The press law actually says that the Press Council is the
\nmediation center for disputes involving the media. But, we need
\nlegal recognition,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Hinca said mediation was more effective and efficient in
\nsettling press disputes than court proceedings.<\/p>\n
He exemplified the latest case involving PT Toba Pulp Lestari
\nand Tempo media, which only took one month to settle. Court
\nproceedings could take months or years when appeals were put into
\nthe equation, he said.<\/p>\n
If the council was named a mediation center for press
\ndisputes, community members, police or prosecutors concerned
\nabout a particular case could first go to the council for its
\nadvice.<\/p>\n
\"We will examine whether the case is about journalism or not.
\nIf it is, we will take care of it. Otherwise, we will say that it
\nis not the authority of the Press Council and let the police or
\nother institutions handle it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Tempo chief editor Bambang Harymurti and journalist
\nAhmad Taufik filed appeals to the Jakarta High Court on Wednesday
\nover court rulings that declared them guilty of defamation.<\/p>\n
Bambang was sentenced to one year's jail for publishing
\narticles deemed to have hurt the reputation of Tomy in March
\n2003. Taufik and fellow journalist T. Iskandar Ali were also
\ndeclared guilty but were spared prison.<\/p>\n
\"I was not imprisoned, but I was declared guilty of spreading
\nlies in my article -- which was not true. Therefore I am filing
\nan appeal today,\" Taufik said.<\/p>\n
\"Taufik is very sure about the article he wrote, that's why he
\nhas appealed (to the higher court) as well,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
Their appeals were accepted and registered by the court's
\nsecretary, Budiman L. Sijabat.<\/p>",
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