Heated rivalries no excuse for media to flout rules<\/p>\n
Ardimas Sasdi
\nStaff Writer
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Fierce rivalries among electronic media amid a tightening
\nmarket, especially after the emergence of several new television
\nstations in the past few years, benefits the public as consumers
\nas each vies to present variety of entertaining programs.<\/p>\n
But the heated battles among the broadcasters lately has run
\ncontrary to public interests.<\/p>\n
A case in point is a trend among private TV stations to air
\ndubious and controversial talk shows or present cheap music by
\nraunchy singers, further tainting Indonesia's already tarnished
\nimage abroad.<\/p>\n
A Malaysian writer expressed cynically that Indonesians "seem
\nto be more interested in the gyrations and pelvis pumping of sexy
\nsinger Inul Daratista, who seem to be getting more television
\nairtime and press coverage, than any Indonesian including
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri" and the simmering conflict in
\nwar-ravaged Aceh province (The Jakarta Post, May 23).<\/p>\n
Such a judgment merits our attention judging from the flagrant
\nviolations of press ethics by some media, especially TV stations
\nand tabloids.<\/p>\n
Laymen, senior officials, media watch executives and religious
\nleaders have queried the standards and practices in the media.<\/p>\n
In a blunt, hard-hitting criticism during a gathering with
\nulema (Muslim clerics) and Islamic organization activists in
\nCianjur, West Java last week, Vice President Hamzah Haz lambasted
\nthe shows as indecent programs which exploited sexuality at some
\nprivate TV stations. He also ordered the Ministry of Religious
\nAffairs to reprimand executives and owners of the stations.<\/p>\n
The Vice President said that if left uncorrected, the sexually
\nliberated programs would have a negative impact on the younger
\ngeneration.<\/p>\n
Hamzah's criticism was echoed again by State Minister of
\nCommunications and Information Syamsul Mu'arif this week,
\ncriticizing some print and electronic media which he said had
\ngone overboard by showing "pornographic" programs, even though
\nmany were broadcast very late at night.<\/p>\n
The concerns of senior leaders came on the heels of frequent
\ncomplaints from certain members of the public against the airing
\nof the talk shows and dubious sexually suggestive ads, which
\ninfringe upon the code of ethics of the press and advertising
\nworld, but have fallen on deaf ears in media boardrooms.<\/p>\n
Among the questionable adult programs which sparked the above
\noutrage are Love and Sex on Metro TV and Bantal (Pillow)
\non RCTI. Both talk shows, held in the form of interactive dialogs
\nwith viewers, often touch on delicate issues such as love and sex
\nbetween adults, but are run by incompetent personalities. The
\nhandling of such sensitive issues requires a lot more class,
\ndignity and tact from skilled persons -- qualities which are
\nlacking among the sultry, airheaded hosts.<\/p>\n
In one recent episode of Love and Sex the host asked her two
\ncelebrity guests bluntly whether they masturbated to satisfy
\ntheir sexual desires. Such a permissive attitude was also
\ndisplayed by a guest star portrayed in a silhouette. Upon
\nreceiving questions from another guest during an interactive
\ndialog in a recent Bantal episode, she admitted to having sex at
\nher office everyday, while a man boasted of his intimacy with
\nseveral secret lovers.<\/p>\n
Muarif argued that the government could not take action
\nagainst the recalcitrant TV stations, citing Article 18 of the
\nPress Law No. 40 of 1999 which states that no party, including
\nthe government, would be justified if it interfered in the
\nprogram contents of the media. Those proven guilty of interfering
\nwith program contents are liable to a two-month imprisonment or a
\nfine of Rp 500 million.<\/p>\n
Yet article 3C of the Indonesian Journalistic Code of Ethics
\nstates that the press shall not publish materials that are
\noffensive to moral standards, religion, belief or faith of a
\nperson or groups protected under the law.<\/p>\n
Advertisements are undeniably the main source of income for
\nthe media, including electronic media. The slice of this
\nadvertisement pie has, however, dwindled since the economic
\ncrisis hit Indonesia in 1997, intensifying competition among the
\nmedia. The rivalry among broadcasters to procure ads has been
\ncomplicated by the birth of new TV stations like Metro TV, Star
\nTV, TV7,Lativi and Global TV in Jakarta and several TV stations
\nin the provinces.<\/p>\n
One of the numerous questionable ads is an commercial on Irex,
\na new but popular sexual enhancer for man at RCTI, which is aired
\nduring the day and night time.<\/p>\n
The ad portrayed a male worker, who complained to his
\ncolleague upon receiving a SMS (short messaging service) from his
\nwife at home, that he had to do overtime (lembur) later. His
\nfriend smiled broadly, saying that the request was not a big deal
\nand then offered a package of Irex. In the ensuing act, the same
\nman received another SMS, which reads Terima Kasih Kadonya, Mama
\n(Thanks for the Gift, Mom).<\/p>\n
Most local TV viewers, especially adults, understand what the
\nmessage the marketer and advertiser want to pass through the ad.
\nBut the timing of the airing of the ad during day time and the
\nway it was presented is not well-thought that it sparked
\ncuriosity from unwanted targets -- children.<\/p>\n
The competition among older, established broadcasters are also
\nvery tight with stations like Indosiar and SCTV, which have
\nslowly grabbed a large chunk of ads, even surpassing the
\ncountry's oldest private broadcaster RCTI, which led the market
\nuntil 1999. These factors have forced TV executives to generate
\nnew ideas and explore new sources of revenue by using all
\npossible means, including the airing of low-quality, cheap but
\nmarketable programs -- some of them just plain rubbish --
\nalthough they cannot claim ignorance of the ethics and prevailing
\nlaws.<\/p>\n
Public protests over the broadcast of dubious talk shows,
\nwhich corrupt people's minds, deserve to be well-heeded by TV
\nexecutives. TV stations must not use tight competition or press
\nfreedom as excuses to flout ethics and rules, but should take the
\nproblem as a challenge to generate fresh ideas to produce
\neducational and entertaining programs, which are attractive to
\nadvertisers as well.<\/p>",
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