Does patriotic journalism really exist?<\/p>\n
Ignatius Haryanto, Vice Executive Director, Institute for Press and
\nDevelopment Studies (LSPP), Jakarta<\/p>\n
Can journalism be categorized as patriotic or unpatriotic?
\nMedia is an information tool, and is provided by people who must
\nserve their readers, or viewers with information.<\/p>\n
It is not the journalists' problem, whether the news they
\nwrite or air will benefit one party or many. Since each has his
\nor her own interests, the media itself cannot satisfy all.<\/p>\n
The main problem we face here is the kind of relationship that
\nshould exist between the military the and media during wartime.
\nAlthough the military have a special program called embedded
\njournalists, the military cannot claim that every media
\nenterprise, domestic or foreign, will support them in Aceh. What
\nwe have seen so far is a restriction of media coverage, and
\nintimidation of journalists by both the military, GAM and
\n"unidentified parties", and also investigation of journalists
\ncritical of the warring sides.<\/p>\n
The military has asked journalists to support "national
\nintegrity above press freedom", and State Minister of
\nCommunications and Information Syamsul Mu'arif said that the
\nmedia had to work "within the framework of the unitary state of
\nthe Indonesian Republic."<\/p>\n
A legislator representing the Indonesian Military (TNI), Maj.
\nGen. Slamet Supriyadi, echoed military colleagues, saying "there
\nshould be no `coverage of both sides' for the sake of national
\ninterests".<\/p>\n
Any demand to undermine a journalist's ethics is like
\npersuading someone to betray his or her own profession. Covering
\nboth sides of an issue is a principle held sacred in journalism,
\nas sacred as the facts that a journalist finds in the field.
\nLikewise, can we force the military to reveal its strategy during
\nwar?<\/p>\n
Asking journalists to betray their own ethics is an indication
\nof the low level of confidence on the part of both warring
\nparties in their ability to win over the Acehnese people's minds
\nand hearts. If the government really has the conviction that it
\ncan settle the Aceh problem, it should not worry too much about
\nthe media.<\/p>\n
To win the minds and hearts of the Acehnese, the government
\nand the TNI should prove they are qualified and professional in
\nsettling the Aceh problem, not only with their military approach
\nbut also by giving peace a chance, and conducting the
\nhumanitarian operation as promised.<\/p>\n
Agreeing to implement "patriotic journalism" would mean, in
\nextreme cases, the possibility of journalists lying to their
\nreaders or viewers. And when the public feels that the media
\ncannot be trusted any longer, the media itself will lose its
\ncredibility in the eyes of the public. Without a trustworthy
\nmedia to air its policies, the government will also lose its
\ncredibility.<\/p>\n
The warring sides would be better advised to air their views
\nusing their own media. The military, for instance, once had the
\ndailies Berita Yudha and Angkatan Bersenjata at the national
\nlevel, apart from radio stations. Journalists would appreciate
\nthe military if they were accessible, for explaining their
\nmilitary operation, and how they are able to capture GAM members
\nand supporters in a professional way who have mixed with the
\ncivilian population.<\/p>\n
In a situation of war we can learn from the experience of the
\nNew York Times during the Vietnam war in the 1960s. David
\nHalberstam, a Times reporter, was sent to Vietnam and lived there
\nfrom 1962 to 1964. He approached local people and got different
\nperspectives -- but his reporting made President J.F. Kennedy
\nunhappy. Kennedy contacted Times' publisher, Arthur Ochs "Punch"
\nSulzberger and demanded that Halberstam be sent home.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, Sulzberger rejected Kennedy's demand. For him
\nthe problem was not about whether U.S. policy on Vietnam was
\nright or wrong, but whether the U.S. government had the right to
\ntell what the media to do.<\/p>\n
Vietnam became a scandal in American history, but Halberstam
\nwas awarded the Pulitzer in 1964 for international reporting. Was
\nHalberstam being unpatriotic when he covered the war through the
\neyes of the Vietnamese people? Or did reports like his become an
\nearly warning for the U.S. government regarding its failed policy
\non Vietnam?<\/p>\n
History will tell us, whether the current military operation
\nin Aceh will really win the hearts and minds of the Acehnese.
\nHistory will also judge the media, whether mere jargon like
\n"national integrity" or "unitary state" can really help educate
\nthe general public, the media itself and decision makers on the
\nissue.<\/p>",
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