Investors complain over 'biased' reporting on RI<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Several investors have complained about the biased coverage on
\nIndonesia by both local and foreign media, saying that the
\ntarnished image of the country caused by the negative reporting
\nhad contributed to the downturn in investments here.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia's tarnished image, as has been portrayed by the
\nmedia, has damaged the business confidence. No wonder Indonesia
\nhas hardly rated as a place to do business in the last few
\nyears,\" John Arnold, chairman of the British Chamber of
\nCommerce's mission in Indonesia, said during the \"Indonesia's
\nImage: Media Myth and Reality\" seminar on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Arnold said that the biased reporting started in 1997
\nfollowing the multidimensional crisis that hit the country. Since
\nthen, Indonesia has been perceived as a country struggling to
\nfind itself, rife with ethnic and religious tensions and
\nconflicts, and the collapse of law enforcement and widespread
\nbreaking of contracts with impunity.<\/p>\n
\"None of us could convincingly argue that there is no basis
\nfor these images,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Arnold said that the media had helped create and establish the
\nimage, not because of misreporting, but more because of selective
\nreporting.<\/p>\n
He called on the media to be more balanced in reporting events
\nin Indonesia and not to focus only on security, scandalous and
\npolitical issues. The coverage of these issues could bring losses
\nto the country's investment climate.<\/p>\n
Citing an example, Arnold pointed to the Tangguh LNG project
\nbeing developed by BP Indonesia in Papua, about which the media
\nhas focussed on the risk of environmental damage and the failure
\nto secure the first major sales contract with southern China.<\/p>\n
\"There is little (coverage) on the potential economic benefits
\nthat will flow into Papua and Indonesia as a whole,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Executive director of Goldman Sachs-Singapore Gita Wirjawan
\nshared Arnold's view, saying that the media had created a
\nperception of Indonesia as identical with uncertainty and
\ndisarray since several years ago.<\/p>\n
This would surely impact foreign confidence in Indonesia, as
\ninvestors would still refer to the biased reporting because of
\nthe existing uncertainty in the country.<\/p>\n
\"Since we are entering the pre-election cycle, there is a
\nrelatively high degree of uncertainties, including the broader
\nissue of the capability of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorism cells
\nin Indonesia. These uncertainties seem to have slowed down the
\nreturn of capital flights and put additional business investments
\non hold,\" Gita said in the seminar.<\/p>\n
Arnold urged the government to learn how to build a good
\nrelationship with the media in order to create a better image for
\ninvestment.<\/p>\n
\"When a potentially embarrassing news event breaks, which will
\nnegatively impact the government, there is often a tendency to
\nreact with hastily staged press conferences. Platitudes,
\nunconvincing statements or denials will be communicated. Then
\nlife goes on,\" said Arnold.<\/p>\n
Another speaker at the seminar, Damien Kingsbury, a lecturer
\nat Deakin University in Australia, acknowledged that Indonesia
\nwas vulnerable to the unbalanced coverage.<\/p>\n
However, he defended the media, saying that the biased
\nreporting was actually part of the media's efforts to do good for
\nsociety as a whole.<\/p>\n
\"The media has a duty as a watchdog, in alerting the public to
\ncurrent problems and calling on the government and other relevant
\ninstitutions to be accountable,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/investors-complain-over-biased-reporting-on-ri-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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