Ethics of journalism in Aceh<\/p>\n
Nani Afrida, Correspondent\/Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
A friend from an electronic media company stationed in Aceh
\napparently lost her temper after a meeting with Sofyan Dawood,
\nspokesperson of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), because everyone,
\nparticularly the military, were asking her similar questions;
\n\"How could you have had a meeting with GAM personnel? You must be
\na GAM member, eh?\"<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, this journalist, who preferred to remain
\nanonymous, said that she, along with several other journalists,
\nsecretly went to see Sofyan Dawood.<\/p>\n
This secret visit to GAM's spokesperson sparked a problem when
\nclose-up shots of the journalists, taken by television cameramen
\nfrom Jakarta, were aired repeatedly by these TV stations,
\ntherefore disclosing to the public the identity of those involved
\nin the secret meeting.<\/p>\n
Worse still for this woman journalist was the fact that she
\nwas Acehnese. Almost everyone in Aceh, from the military to
\nlayman, are familiar with her face. Meanwhile, TV journalists
\nfrom Jakarta, who went with her to see Sofyan Dawood, simply
\nreturned home to the safety of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"I can never understand how these journalists from Jakarta
\ncould have the heart to make public our pictures while earlier
\nthey had promised not to disclose any pictures of their fellow
\njournalists,\" she said, sadly.<\/p>\n
She was not so much enraged because the secret meeting was
\npublicized. Rather, what infuriated her was the failure of
\njournalists from outside Aceh to keep their promises and comply
\nwith the prevailing norms that every journalist covering a region
\nlike Aceh should be familiar with.<\/p>\n
Local journalists have indeed become a unique community in
\nAceh. Most of them work for either the domestic mass media
\ndomiciled outside Aceh or for foreign media. Nonetheless, most of
\nthem are indigenous Acehnese who are well-informed about the
\nregion.<\/p>\n
These local journalists are necessarily very prudent in their
\nwork. Writing news about separatism is obviously different from
\nwriting something about criminals. Once your report is considered
\nto be even slightly in favor of the two conflicting parties, you
\nmust be ready for the consequences.<\/p>\n
There are many unwritten rules that local journalists must
\nobey. These are standard rules that every local journalist knows.
\nThe ethics of coverage in Aceh is very important and adhering to
\nthese ethics has proven effective in protecting the public,
\nincluding the journalists themselves.<\/p>\n
Regarding a secret meeting with GAM personnel, like the
\nmeeting with Sofyan Dawood, one of the rules, also known to GAM,
\nis the prohibition on taking pictures of journalists present at
\nsuch meetings, as these pictures could endanger their lives.<\/p>\n
Another rule is that you must not take pictures of locals
\naround the meeting location nor ever mention details that might
\nreveal the location.<\/p>\n
It has often happened that following meetings with GAM
\npersonnel, the TNI has caused trouble for local people.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, only a handful of journalists from outside Aceh
\nare familiar with these unwritten rules. Such unfamiliarity has
\noften led to problems for local journalists.<\/p>\n
Between 2003 and 2004, when Aceh was under a state of military
\nemergency, journalists lost the trust of the Acehnese. Scores of
\ndomestic (non-Acehnese) and foreign journalists flocked to Aceh
\nto cover news in the province. As they aggressively reported in
\nan attempt to get highest ratings, they justified all means and
\ndisregarded both ethical considerations and the consequences of
\ntheir reporting.<\/p>\n
As a result, several civilians fell victim. An eyewitness, for
\nexample, was found dead the day after his face appeared on
\ntelevision.<\/p>\n
In response to this situation, locals became more critical
\nwhen facing journalists. They were no longer open and preferred
\nto stay tight-lipped.<\/p>\n
During this period, media reporting lacked balance because
\njournalists were allowed to report only one side of the conflict.
\nAnd in fact, it often seemed that the media preferred to quote
\nofficial sources rather than the voices of ordinary people.<\/p>\n
In those days, reports on violence, victims and exchanges of
\nfire were considered exclusive. Seldom did we find reports
\nconducive to peace in the region. A senior journalist from
\ntelevision station RCTI lost his life, a sacrificial lamb for the
\njournalists who, in those days, failed to cover both sides.<\/p>\n
Three months after the military emergency was lifted, all
\nreporters left Aceh. Acehnese reporters, however, stayed and
\ncontinued writing about their region.<\/p>\n
These Acehnese journalists had to answer to GAM for their
\nprevious reporting. They had not yet won back the public's trust,
\nwhich was particularly painful to reporters.<\/p>\n
It is true that most journalists sent to Aceh did not have
\nenough knowledge about this region. They were generally young and
\nenthusiastic and, as such, were prompted by a desire to gain
\nrecognition.<\/p>\n
Aceh was then like a training ground for junior reporters, and
\nit was believed that a novice reporter would gain his initiation
\nas a full reporter after a stint in the province.<\/p>\n
Very few of these young reporters read anything about Aceh to
\nfind out, for example, why GAM was seeking independence, or the
\nactual content of the peace agreement, or why negotiations for
\npeace in Aceh have several times collapsed.<\/p>\n
When television stations sent their reporters to Aceh, most of
\nthem were young journalists usually assigned to crime news. They
\nwere more used to witnessing thieves or pickpockets being
\ninterrogated and, therefore, also considered GAM members as mere
\ncriminals. It did not occur to them that GAM members were
\nrebelling for ideological reasons.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Acehnese reporters know the situation of Aceh very
\nwell. Unlike the reporters from outside Aceh, these Acehnese
\njournalists have been subjected to terror, threats and
\nintimidation by both sides.<\/p>\n
Now that a peace agreement has been signed between the
\nRepublic of Indonesia and GAM, Acehnese reporters will have a
\nmore difficult job to do because they have to report on efforts
\nto rehabilitate post-tsunami Aceh, and also on the peace process.
\nThey need not only time and energy for this job but also
\nextraordinary prudence and a critical mind.<\/p>\n
Since 2000, Acehnese journalists in Aceh have seen the
\ncollapse of several negotiations for peace. Like other Acehnese,
\nthey hope that when lasting peace finally comes about in Aceh,
\nthis region will be a better place to live in.<\/p>\n
Of course, in this regard, Acehnese reporters need the
\nassistance of journalists from other regions and nations. Still,
\nit must be emphasized here that rules and ethics, written or
\notherwise, must always be complied with.<\/p>\n
Ethics are important to protect the parties in conflict, the
\nreporters, and most importantly, the Acehnese themselves.<\/p>\n
The writer has been a reporter and photographer in Aceh since
\n2000<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ethics-of-journalism-in-aceh-1447893297",
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