Media freedom threatened more than ever<\/p>\n
The fall of the New Order regime in 1998 and the formation of
\na new government after democratic elections in 1999 were seen as
\nmajor boosts for press freedom in Indonesia. But the past two
\nyears have seen press freedom in the country take a hit, with
\nseveral journalists brought up on criminal charges for allegedly
\ndefamatory stories. Press Council chairman Ichlasul Amal shared
\nhis views on the issue with The Jakarta Post's Sally Piri in
\nconjunction with World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3.<\/p>\n
Question: The principle of press freedom is actually
\nadequately guaranteed in Indonesia at the moment. But the rapid
\ngrowth of the industry seems to be hurting this principle. What
\nis your view of this?<\/p>\n
Answer: Yes, that is a problem because of the very tight
\ncompetition among members of the media to produce accurate news.
\nThe lack of instruments in a press institution can cause
\nproblems, too. For example, when a reporter has to take a bus to
\npursue a news story, it will take a lot of time for a reporter to
\nget accurate news.<\/p>\n
Under the New Order regime, power was used to control the
\nmedia. But now legal means are preferred. An individual or
\ninstitution would now rather send a case to court. How do you see
\nthis?<\/p>\n
This perception comes from the law enforcers, who tend to look
\nat errors in news reporting as regular crimes and thus are
\ninclined to apply the Criminal Code or Civil Code rather than the
\nPress Law (to such cases). Under the Press Law a maximum fine of
\nRp 500 million (US$54,300) can be imposed. And what is currently
\nbecoming a concern is that the draft of the new Criminal Code
\ntakes a harder line than the old code. The media will be put in
\ngreater danger than before because there are more articles, which
\nI cannot specify now, that could lead a journalist to jail when
\nsuch errors occur.<\/p>\n
Do you see any indications that the government is against
\nfreedom of press?<\/p>\n
Actually, this is more on an individual basis. Basically,
\nnobody wants to be criticized or discredited by the media. This
\nis human. Everybody has his own way of responding to news. People
\ntend to respond by going to court but the law enforcers apply the
\nCriminal Code rather than the Press Law.<\/p>\n
What needs to be done to avoid repression by the government?<\/p>\n
Nowadays it is impossible for the government to use
\nrepression because that would work like a boomerang. However, the
\ngovernment can use its right to respond to the newspapers that
\nhave published the story, following the procedures prescribed by
\nthe Press Law.<\/p>\n
As far as freedom of the press is concerned, who would be the
\nbest to put limitations on the press?<\/p>\n
Society, the media and the law. For example, society, which
\nmay be considered as militant with regard to specific values,
\nmight mobilize to confront the media. And through the law, the
\ngovernment can keep national stability.<\/p>\n
What are the challenges for today's media?<\/p>\n
Newspapers need sophisticated technology, and that is
\nexpensive. The large number of publications at present causes
\ntighter competition among the members of the media. In today's
\neconomic conditions, how can they survive? For example, in Medan
\nalone there are at least 20 newspapers. And information
\ntechnology is growing rapidly around the world. The number of
\npeople reading newspapers has tended to drop. However, people who
\nlive in rural areas read more newspapers. In order to acquire
\ninformation technology tools and to survive, the media must have
\nstrong assets.<\/p>\n
What do you think about the quality of the press in Indonesia?<\/p>\n
Generally, it still has not reached the standards that have
\nbeen achieved in neighboring countries. However, there are
\nseveral good publications. Ideally, the living standards of the
\npeople who work in the media need to be upgraded.<\/p>",
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