Press impartiality in Aceh<\/p>\n
The information disclosed by new media watchdog Aceh News
\nWatch on Wednesday that most national newspapers and television
\nstations had failed to practice the very basic media principles
\nof impartiality and coverage of both sides in a conflict in their
\nreportage of the war in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) surprises
\nno one.<\/p>\n
According to the findings obtained by the NGO by monitoring
\nfive television stations and 13 major newspapers, the press
\nreportage of the war in NAD depends heavily on information
\nsupplied by the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police
\n(Polri). The television stations used the military version of
\nincidents 108 times and those supplied by the police 46 times. In
\ncomparison, those stations quoted the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
\nonly 16 times. As for the printed media, the newspapers quoted
\nmilitary sources 33 times and police sources nine times, while
\nGAM sources were quoted only five times.<\/p>\n
The question is whether this failure to abide by the
\nfundamental credo of the media is caused merely by technical
\ndifficulties in covering the government's enemy in the war, which
\nis GAM, or because they had to meet government demands not to
\nprovide any access to GAM for the sake of the Unitary State of
\nIndonesia (NKRI).<\/p>\n
Apart from that there is also the fear that the media does
\ntruly share the government's stance that GAM should not be given
\na chance to convey its version of the war, because the fate of
\nthe unitary state is at stake. But who actually has the right to
\nclaim that the state is in fatal danger? Clearly, not the
\nmilitary or the government only, but the nation as a whole.<\/p>\n
It is not our intention to blame the television stations and
\nthe press for depending so heavily on the security forces because
\nthey are facing a very difficult situation, and that includes the
\nresponsibility to guarantee the safety of their reporters on the
\nbattlefield. Journalists who cover the war face the threats of
\nwarfare when they make contact with the rebels. The names of
\nmedia organizations and journalists who have faced the
\nconsequences of their defiance against the security forces, have
\nalso been reported by the media. The rebels should be equally
\nblamed for the chaos because even until this day, they are still
\nholding the RCTI television crew members hostage.<\/p>\n
Whatever the reasons for this partial coverage may be, biased
\nand one-sided reports on anything not only betray one of the most
\nfundamental principles of a free press society, they also deceive
\nthe public, which has the right to get accurate and fair
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
There is no guarantee that closing media access to the rebels
\nwill ensure the success of the joint operation in NAD to
\neradicate the rebellion and stamp out the roots of the insurgency
\nin that province. By giving a chance for the rebels to air their
\nversion of the war, the public will get more balanced information
\nabout the source of the war and the public can get closer to the
\ntruth behind the war in NAD.<\/p>\n
The security forces, for their part, can benefit from reports
\nabout GAM. For instance, whenever claims arise that Indonesian
\nsoldiers have committed gross human rights abuses, the TNI can
\nuse this GAM information to check out the allegation and, if
\naccurate, to punish those who are responsible for the crimes.<\/p>\n
We do agree, though, that the unity of the Republic of
\nIndonesia should be maintained. We also wholeheartedly concur
\nwith the view that armed rebellions must not be tolerated. We,
\nthe media, must also play a role in securing the unity of this
\nRepublic, but not a unity that is based on one version of the
\nconflict only.<\/p>\n
The U.S.-led war on Iraq, for example, could serve as an
\nexample. Many sections of the American media, such as CNN, were
\ntrapped in the nationalistic euphoria that prevailed in the U.S.
\nbefore the war and so, by using only their government's version
\nof the war, many Americans ignored their role as self-proclaimed
\nchampions of press freedom. They believed that Saddam Hussein
\nmust be toppled because his weapons of mass destruction and his
\nsupport for terrorism were seen as an immediate threat to their
\ncountry and the world. So many parties in the U.S. media had to
\nlick what they had spit out.<\/p>\n
We hope that we can learn from the American media's
\nexperience. They enthusiastically supported the war, only to
\nrealize that they had to pay dearly for their blundering choice.
\nWe believe that fairer coverage on NAD will help the nation to
\nend the suffering of its people. The media itself is expected to
\nbe mature enough to make its judgment on NAD. Talking about such
\nbitter facts on NAD may upset us now, but for the sake of the
\nAcehnese, the true facts should be disclosed in order to find out
\nthe truth.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/press-impartiality-in-aceh-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}