Legislators back TNI position against media coverage in Aceh<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
A number of legislators on Monday regretted most reports on Aceh
\nby both domestic and international media, and demanded the
\ngovernment to find a mechanism to control media reporting in the
\ntroubled province.<\/p>\n
They said that most media made provocative reports on the
\nmilitary operation and mentioned little about the humanitarian
\nactivities and law enforcement programs in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Sidharto Danusubroto of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan) especially criticized a report on
\ntelevision featuring soldiers dragging a dead body.<\/p>\n
Fellow legislator Yasril Ananta Baharuddin of the Golkar
\nfaction also criticized the media for using the terminology
\n\"military operation\" instead of \"security-restoring operation\".<\/p>\n
\"Operation to restore security is the fourth item on the four-
\nstep operation for Aceh. So why has it becomes the main focus?\"
\nYasril asked during a hearing with Minister of Communication and
\nInformation Syamsul Mu'arif.<\/p>\n
The legislators suggested that Minister Syamsul find a way to
\ncontrol reports from the mass media.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Slamet Supriyadi from the Military\/Police faction
\nadded that, for the sake of the existence of the unitary Republic
\nof Indonesia, the national press should write stories that
\nbenefit the nation.<\/p>\n
Responding to complaints from legislators, the minister said
\nthat at present, the government would not impose restrictions on
\nthe media.<\/p>\n
Syamsul said the government could only appeal to the media to
\nprovide more coverage on the government's overall program in
\nAceh, instead of on stories that benefit the separatist Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM).<\/p>\n
\"But, if the situation gives the government no other choice,
\n(media) restriction will be unavoidable,\" Syamsul added.<\/p>\n
Separately, Ashadi Siregar, a lecturer at Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity's School of Communication Studies, said on Monday that
\ninstead of moving against the media, the government and the
\nmilitary should investigate the alleged human rights abuses in
\nAceh as reported by the media.<\/p>\n
\"That's what news reports are for,\" he said, adding that the
\ncountry should have an independent ombudsman to investigate
\nvarious media reports that are disputed by the public, including
\nthe military.<\/p>\n
Ashadi, however, regretted the military's move to question the
\nreports and even threatening to sue the media that carried
\narticles on the military's alleged human rights violations.<\/p>\n
Supporting an earlier statement by Press Council chairman
\nAtmakusumah Astraatmaja, Ashadi noted that media reports could
\nnot be accepted as truth in a legal sense and therefore, the
\nmedia could not be required to take legal responsibility for its
\ncoverage in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Ashadi told media not to be afraid of the military's move if
\nthey believed that their reports were based on fact.<\/p>\n
\"This (occurrence) teaches journalists to learn how to
\nresearch facts from credible sources. They don't have to be
\nafraid if they exercise the basic principle of journalism,\" said
\nAshadi, who leads a journalism institution in Yogyakarta.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/legislators-back-tni-position-against-media-coverage-in-aceh-1447893297",
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