Press told to address potential social unrest<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Instead of waiting for violent outbreaks,
\npotential conflict simmering beneath the nation's ethnic and
\ncultural foundations should be addressed by the media, senior
\njournalists and a sociologist agreed on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
They agreed that over the past three decades, the media had
\nswept all potential problems under the carpet, never opening
\npublic spheres for discourse over the issues.<\/p>\n
At a discussion held by the Institute for the Studies on Free
\nFlow of Information (ISAI), a common view was also shared among
\npanelists that the media were in part to blame -- along with a
\ncorrupt government -- for the spate of unrest in past years.<\/p>\n
Speakers were sociologist Tamrin Amal Tamagola of the
\nUniversity of Indonesia, assistant to the deputy editor of
\nMuslim-oriented Ummat magazine Hamid Basyaib, Hidup's editor
\nSihol Siagian and chief editor of The Jakarta Post Susanto
\nPudjomartono.<\/p>\n
The topic was on the mass media and their coverage of societal
\nconflict, or conflict stemming from differences of ethnicity,
\nreligion, race and societal groups (SARA).<\/p>\n
\"We have fallen short of putting all the issues into
\nperspective, that we are ethnically plural -- a vast potential
\nfor conflict,\" Susanto asserted.<\/p>\n
\"Intentionally or not, we tend not to cover such potential
\nconflict... when ABRI says (a conflict) is over, we tend to
\nfollow,\" he added, referring to the Armed Forces.<\/p>\n
Many demographic changes have been left uncovered all these
\nyears, he conceded.<\/p>\n
One consequence of the lack of public discourse was the scale
\nof recent conflicts and people's reactions, such as calls for a
\nholy war following reports of unrest in Maluku province.<\/p>\n
Speakers also referred to riots that occurred in West
\nKalimantan, Jakarta, East Nusa Tenggara and unrest across Java in
\nprevious years.<\/p>\n
Hamid of Ummat admitted that while it was hard for journalists
\nof his magazine to be emotionally detached from the conflicts in
\nAmbon, they managed to cover both sides.<\/p>\n
Sihol of the Catholic-oriented Hidup magazine also
\nacknowledged similar circumstances. \"But we are of the view that
\nthe unrest was political...,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Tamagola reminded the media not to give in to the \"ongoing
\nbattle\" within themselves to write reports based on a certain
\neditorial framing grounded on baseless prejudices. (aan)<\/p>",
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