Ethics important issue among journalists<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The question of ethics emerged as an important
\nissue among local journalists on the third day of the 19th Asian
\nAdvertising Congress at a Nusa Dua resort yesterday.<\/p>\n
So far, Indonesian advertising companies have been governed by
\na code of conduct, the interpretation of which has been left to
\nindividual companies. As a result, consistency has been lacking
\nin the code's implementation.<\/p>\n
\"When the time is right we will need a regulation, but the
\nbest way is for advertising companies to exercise self-
\nregulation,\" said keynote speaker Prof. Subroto during a press
\nconference for local journalists after yesterday's session.<\/p>\n
Also present at the press conference were panelists Prof. Umar
\nKayam and Marzuki Darusman.<\/p>\n
Consumers organizations should also play a part by acting as
\n\"policemen\" in warning advertising companies when they have
\nviolated the regulation or code of conduct, he added.<\/p>\n
Umar Kayam, meanwhile, looked at the issue from the point of
\nview of democratization. In a democratic society, he said, people
\nare always criticizing things; at the very least, they are always
\nquestioning things.<\/p>\n
\"Criticism and questions serve as control. Institutions (of
\nregulation) mean nothing without the democratization of public
\nopinion, and this means power-sharing,\" said Kayam.<\/p>\n
Marzuki Darusman believes that the lack of an advertising
\nregulation is an indication that the parties concerned have not
\nyet seen the urgency of having such a regulation.<\/p>\n
\"It could also be that the advertising companies do not want
\nto be regulated,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Marzuki said that the public has become more
\ncritical.<\/p>\n
\"There are advertisements which can be used to change public
\nattitudes, such as those on the dangers of smoking or of AIDS,
\nwhich are called public service advertisements. However, a
\ncritical public has had divergent views on a Freeport
\nadvertisement launched while that company was having problems (in
\nIrian Jaya). There are those who saw it as pure coincidence, but
\nthere were others who saw it as a scam,\" said Marzuki.<\/p>\n
He was referring to the alleged shooting of more than a dozen
\nnative Irian Jaya people by Freeport security personnel.<\/p>\n
\"Also, the advertisement by the forestry association can no
\nlonger be used in Europe because it contradicts the reality,\"
\nMarzuki added.<\/p>\n
During question time, Subroto stressed that the globalization
\nprocess will make life more complicated as well as promoting
\npluralism.<\/p>\n
\"The fear that globalization will create a nation of traders
\nis baseless. On the contrary, pluralism will grow because not all
\ncan be producers; there have to be buyers, or distributors, for
\nexample. Also, producers will no longer force the public to buy
\nonly their products, because people will have more to choose
\nfrom. In the end, consumer satisfaction is the goal,\" said
\nSubroto.<\/p>\n
According to Subroto, the globalization process has changed
\npublic attitudes toward goods. Consumers' concerns in the future
\nwill no longer be with the question of which country produces a
\nproduct, but with its quality.<\/p>\n
\"They might buy a pair of Balinese shoes made in Cibaduyut,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Cibaduyut is a shoe-producing center in Bandung.<\/p>\n
Marzuki, meanwhile, said the issue is a problem of national
\nidentity.<\/p>\n
\"During the past 25 years our identity has been defined in
\neconomic terms, while in fact national identity, in the end, is
\ndetermined by politics. What we need to achieve is a balance
\nbetween economics and politics,\" said Marzuki.<\/p>\n
Subroto said that the trend of giant advertising companies
\ncoming to Indonesia is part of the process of globalization and
\nunavoidable.<\/p>\n
\"The only way small Indonesian advertising companies can
\nsurvive is to merge or to cooperate with them (the larger
\nadvertising companies) to improve their expertise and
\ninvestment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The most important thing is how to prepare a strategy to
\nbenefit from the presence of foreign advertising companies in
\nIndonesia, he added. (lem)<\/p>",
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