Govt blasted for dominating the flow of information<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Communication experts are criticizing the
\ngovernment for \"dominating\" the flow of information to society,
\nin an effort to shape public opinion to its advantage.<\/p>\n
Novel Ali of Semarang-based Diponegoro University, Harsono
\nSuwardi of the Jakarta-based University of Indonesia and a number
\nof other experts attending the third congress of the Association
\nof Indonesian Communication Experts here yesterday agreed that
\nthis dominance places the campaigns for democracy and press
\nfreedom in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
Harsono particularly blamed the government for dominating and
\neven abusing the mass media. He pointed out that the political
\nelite's messages currently receive undue coverage in the mass
\nmedia, while those coming from the people are often discarded.<\/p>\n
The unfairness creates conflicts and obstructs communication
\nflow, so that the powerful elites and the people don't see eye to
\neye, Harsono told 300 participants gathered at the Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity campus.<\/p>\n
The congress was opened on Thursday by Minister of Information
\nHarmoko and featured Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman
\nDjojonegoro as key speaker. It is scheduled to conclude today.<\/p>\n
Harsono said one of the media's functions is to educate.
\nWhether it can do so successfully depends on the quality of the
\nmedia's products, namely the news.<\/p>\n
\"The media trains people to be critical of any obscurity in
\nmessages sent by either the power holders or by social-political
\norganizations,\" he said. When the people become very critical,
\nhowever, the power holders then blame the mass media, he said.<\/p>\n
He conceded that the critical stance toward many government
\npolicies, which indicates a certain degree of democratization, is
\noften interpreted as a threat to the political order, which
\nstrives to maintain security and stability.<\/p>\n
He suggested that the press continue performing its duty, but
\nin a way which does not alienate the power holders. \"The press'
\ncriticism helps achieve a clean and respectable government, but
\nit shouldn't be given without a certain degree of restraint,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"A good and constructive press knows its boundaries,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Novel Ali compared Indonesia to a number of \"democratic
\nstates\" in which the government keeps its hands off the flow of
\ninformation in order to create a balanced public opinion. \"Here,
\nthe power holders attempt to monopolize people's opinion,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"This creates a condition where 'crimes' of political
\ncommunication abound, perpetrated by the official government
\nmedia, especially the state television station TVRI and radio
\nstation RRI,\" Ali said.<\/p>\n
The fact that private television and radio stations pick up
\nstate-produced news facilitates the government's attempt to
\ndominate the process of public opinion making, he pointed out.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian press, both print and electronic, are nothing
\nmore than the government press, government bulletins,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"The media works only as a channel of information from the top
\nto the bottom layers of society, rather than as a bottom-up
\ninformation channel.\"<\/p>\n
\"In this situation, people are deceived by the press,\" he
\nadded. \"If this goes on, political communication is obstructed,
\nand our people become mere objects of the power holders.\"<\/p>\n
The congress also featured prominent experts A.A Muis of the
\nHasanuddin University in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, and Andre
\nHardjana of the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Muis discussed at length the bill on broadcasting currently
\nbeing deliberated by the House of Representatives. He said the
\ngovernment is trying to restrict the freedom of the press through
\nthe bill.<\/p>\n
\"This bill should not be passed,\" he said. (har\/06\/31)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-blasted-for-dominating-the-flow-of-information-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }