Media people criticized for lack of solidarity<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Prominent lawyer Nono Anwar Makarim criticized the Indonesian media on
\nThursday for its lack of cohesion in putting pressure on the
\ngovernment and the House of Representatives to revise existing
\nlaws that are often used against journalists and media
\nenterprises.<\/p>\n
\"If media people can show solidarity, they can put pressure on
\nthe government and the House (to reform outdated laws). We must
\nlook to other countries that have reformed press laws,\" he said
\nin a discussion organized by the Press Council and UNESCO here on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
Nono was referring to Japan and South Korea which have a
\nsimilar legal system to Indonesia but have reformed their legal
\nsystem to make it more transparent and democratic.<\/p>\n
Several media people in Indonesia have been brought to court
\non criminal charges. The court uses the Criminal Code, instead of
\nthe Press Law, Nono asserted.<\/p>\n
Media people are often charged with defamation or libel,
\nsomething that does not happen in other democratic countries, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In a defamation case, Nono said, the court must seek ways to
\nquickly restore the reputation of \"the victims\", instead of
\nseeking revenge against journalists.<\/p>\n
\"If there is a defamation case, the solution must not be
\nsending journalists to jail,\" he said, adding that defamation
\nvictims must have their names restored quickly through
\nclarification.<\/p>\n
The effective and efficient mechanism to restore someone's
\nname is through the use of the Press Law, under which the media
\ngroup must clarify its erroneous report and apologize for its
\nmistake.<\/p>\n
\"The Press Council will also mediate between the media and the
\nvictims of defamation,\" said Nono, a former corporate lawyer.<\/p>\n
Former Supreme Court judge Benyamin Mankoedilaga said that the
\nPress Law did not contain sufficient stipulations to protect
\njournalists.<\/p>\n
He said that the Press Law guaranteed the protection of
\njournalists on duty. Taking as an example, he said journalists
\nassigned to conflicting areas must be protected from armed
\nconflict.<\/p>\n
However, journalists must also have access to state offices,
\nsuch as the House of Representatives, to carry out their duties,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Benyamin, however, criticized Law No. 40\/1999 which only
\nmentions three possible types of misconduct that can be committed
\nby media people.<\/p>\n
The three are violation of religious norms, social norms, and
\nthe principle of presumption of innocence.<\/p>\n
\"How about other wrongdoings? We must admit that some aspects
\nare not mentioned in the law,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Press Law does not include stipulations dealing with
\narticles or reports that may contain libel, defamation, or lies.<\/p>\n
He stated that the press must not become a super body that can
\ndo no wrong, but instead must be equal before the law.<\/p>\n
Also speaking in the discussion were Toby Mendel of the
\nLondon-based Article XIX press group and Asanga Welikala from Sri
\nLanka's Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA).<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/media-people-criticized-for-lack-of-solidarity-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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