Responsible reporting during religious wars<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, Manila<\/p>\n
Direct elections for the leaders of provincial and municipal
\nadministrations across Indonesia are just a few months away. Most
\nof which will be surely be deemed newsworthy by various newspaper
\nand TV editors, as it represents another first in the country's
\npath to democracy.<\/p>\n
Certainly the media will face challenges in reporting the
\ndirect elections, especially in regard to the various religious
\nconflicts scattered across the diverse archipelago. The
\npopulation is only allowed by law to believe in four religions,
\nbut there are many more belief systems. Experience has shown that
\nthe differences in faiths have caused mass bloodshed in Maluku,
\nSulawesi and other places. Now with the direct elections, where
\ncandidates from different faiths will likely vie for votes, it
\ncould provide a spark for more violence and bloodshed.<\/p>\n
What then, should the Indonesian media be reporting if there
\nare outbreaks of religious conflicts during these local
\nelections?<\/p>\n
Looking back over the history of the country, reporting on
\nreligious conflict has indeed been a dilemma for the media. Under
\ntight supervision of the New Order Government (1965 - 1998), the
\nIndonesian media was simply not allowed to tell the full truth,
\nif anything at all, behind the various religious clashes that
\noften broke out across the archipelago. The iron-fisted Soeharto
\nregime was so obsessed with \"national stability\" that it simply
\nclamped down and ordered the media to bury the news that they
\nthought could \"threaten people's harmony\". Due to the fear of
\nforced closure and other threats, the journalists and editors
\nsuccumbed to the will of the repressive government.<\/p>\n
Media freedom finally began to flourish after the New Order
\nwas forced to step aside. The media had, almost overnight, gained
\na measure of freedom to report on most any subject, including
\nreligious violence. The media enjoyed unprecedented press
\nfreedom. However, that did not mean that the dilemma for the
\nIndonesia media in reporting on religious conflict had come to an
\nend. After reformasi in 1998, the media has tried to be
\ntransparent. The media has reported on conflicts in outer
\nislands, especially the formerly taboo religious wars.<\/p>\n
Some media have reported with a balanced perspective, but
\nothers have been accused of being irresponsible and liberal. Some
\nnewspapers and magazines have often chose to run sensational
\nstories -- to increase circulation -- but they have also been
\ncondemned for taking sides and fueling the religious conflicts.
\nThe bloody sectarian conflict in Maluku was a clear example on
\nhow the media helped fan religious hatred.<\/p>\n
Learning from that experience, journalists are now caught in
\nthe dilemma. If a conflict breaks out in the country, should the
\nmedia cover it or bury it for the sake of religious harmony? In
\nmy opinion, burying the stories should not be the media position.
\nAs a public forum, the media has to report the truth, however
\npainful it is.<\/p>\n
However, unlike those early years of press freedom, the
\njournalists should now no longer report the conflicts in the same
\nway. The journalists and editors have to help promote peace in
\nthe area prone to conflicts. While disclosing the names of the
\nprotagonists in the conflict, we should also emphasize a sense of
\njustice. Journalists should push police personnel and the
\njudiciary to thoroughly investigate the conflict and punish the
\nperpetrators, regardless of religion.<\/p>\n
If justice is done, it can be assured that there will not be
\nreligious conflicts in the country. Justice would serve as a
\ndeterrent for people so that they will not resort to violence.
\nJustice will also make people feel that they have been treated
\nfairly so that people will not take the law in their own hands.<\/p>\n
The prolonged conflicts in Maluku and Central Sulawesi
\nhappened because people did not believe that justice would be
\ndone by the authorities. After the conflict broke out in Ambon,
\nMaluku, the police officers, most of whom are Christians from
\nMaluku, mainly defended the Christians, while the military
\npersonnel, most of whom are from Java, defended the Muslims.
\nBombings and deadly attacks still occur sporadically, and sadly
\nthe security personnel are still unable to arrest the
\nperpetrators in most cases.<\/p>\n
The public questioned the ability and seriousness of security
\npersonnel, and as a result, they do not trust them. This
\nsituation is dangerous for the establishment of peace in
\nIndonesia's hotspots and it is the role of the media to demand
\nthat security personnel resolve the cases, in order to show that
\nthe justice is seriously done in the country.<\/p>\n
It is interesting to note that in some cases, journalists are
\nnot part of the solution, but are part of the problem. Unable to
\nsee past their own religious kinship, journalists do not help
\ndefuse the conflicts, but instead, they make it even worse.
\nJournalists, especially those reporting from the hotspots like
\nthe still-segregated city of Ambon, often report stories that are
\nbiased in favor of their own religion. To some extent, this is
\nonly human that they do it, because if they do not do it, their
\nvery existence will be threatened. But, it will surely hamper
\nlasting peace in the region.<\/p>\n
It is refreshing that some NGOs have realized that the
\nsituation could prolong conflict in Ambon and a few years ago,
\nthey began to set up approaches to allow the journalists to learn
\nhow to report such things. The NGOs have helped build a mechanism
\nin order for the journalists to help restore peace in Ambon.
\nMeetings are regularly held among Muslim and Christian
\njournalists in order to promote understanding between them, and
\nthe Maluku Media Center was established in a neutral zone in
\nAmbon. Some Muslim and Christian journalists are grouped under
\nMMC and they are guided to produce stories that could help foster
\npeace. In the MMC, multiculturalism and pluralism are planted
\ninto the minds of journalists, regardless their religions.<\/p>\n
The MMC and the intense dialogs for journalists with different
\nfaiths can be a model in order to help the Indonesian journalists
\nresponsibly cover and promote peace during the direct elections
\nthat will be prone to conflicts.<\/p>\n
The author is a staff writer at the Jakarta Post. These are
\nexcerpts from a paper that was presented during a workshop held
\nby the Council of Asian Press Institutes (CAPI) on March 3 in
\nManila.<\/p>",
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