Shooting the messengers<\/p>\n
While journalists are fully aware of the risks of covering a
\nconflict or a war, the attack on a group of journalists in the
\nEast Timor capital of Dili on Thursday was way out of line. One
\nTV clip showed a thug attacking a TV cameraman who was protecting
\na female reporter. Not shown on TV but graphically described by
\nKompas daily was the shooting of its reporter, who would have
\ndied had he not worn a bulletproof vest. Shot in the leg, he was
\nforced to flee by limping away from his assailants. He had to be
\nhospitalized.<\/p>\n
Journalists have found themselves caught in the clashes
\nbetween proindependence and pro-Indonesia camps on several
\noccasions in recent months. Most of the incidents went
\nunreported, or were given passing mention. The journalists, and
\nthe media they represent, rightly treat such incidents -- as long
\nas they are not life-threatening -- as hazards that are part and
\nparcel of their profession. As messengers, their real job is to
\nfocus their reports on what is happening in East Timor, and not
\ndraw public attention to themselves.<\/p>\n
But it is altogether a different story if the attacks are
\nintentional or premeditated, which is what occurred on Dili's
\nstreets on Thursday. The assailants were bent on harming the
\njournalists and, in the case of the Kompas reporter, of taking
\nhis life. The journalists were the targets. They were not caught
\nin the line of fire, which, incidentally, remains the Indonesian
\ngovernment's official line for the untimely deaths of five
\nAustralian-based journalists in East Timor in 1975.<\/p>\n
When people start assailing journalists, it is an attack not
\nonly on the particular individuals, but the entire profession,
\nand what it represents: the quest for truth. Any attack,
\nintimidation or harassment against journalists undermines their
\nability to report the truth, which in turn obstructs the public's
\nright to information.<\/p>\n
With the historic ballot in East Timor set for Monday, it is
\nclear that some people are becoming uneasy about the increasing
\nattention devoted to the territory by the international media.
\nThey do not like to see the truth in East Timor, concealed for
\nmuch of the last 24 years under Indonesian rule, suddenly bared
\nfor the whole world to see. These are the same people who, in
\ntheir desperation to smother the truth, roundly accuse the media
\nof bias. Granted, some media slanted their reports in favor of
\nthe underdogs in the conflict, but their ability to do so is
\ninevitably limited by the understanding of a discerning and
\ncritical audience.<\/p>\n
The job of journalists is to portray the truth to the utmost
\nof their ability. This is limited by the extent of the access
\nthey are given to obtain that information. The more access they
\nhave, the closer they get to the truth. Both sides in the
\nconflict should therefore have an equal stake in giving
\njournalists as much access as possible, so that they can get as
\nclose to the truth as possible.<\/p>\n
The attack and intimidation on Thursday may have served the
\nassailants' purpose to conceal the truth for a short time. But in
\nthe long run, the truth will out, as the saying goes, and such
\npractices will be proven counterproductive. One only need look at
\nthe way the international media treats the Indonesian government
\ntoday. For much of the past two decades, the government barred
\naccess for journalists to East Timor and, at times, lied to the
\nworld about the conditions there. Its credibility is now
\ncontinually called into question, even when its intentions are
\ngenuine. Several thousand kilometers to the west, the military
\nmanaged to suppress information about the atrocities it committed
\nfor nine long years in Aceh. Once the ugly truth emerged last
\nyear, the Acehnese lost all trust in the military and police.<\/p>\n
Journalists covering the East Timor conflict know full well
\nthe risks that their job entails. Most come prepared, with
\nbulletproof vests, or even insurance. They, or their media, are
\nnot asking for special protection from the government or the
\npolice. But they need some kind of recognition, from all parties
\ninvolved in East Timor, of their work and of their duty to the
\npublic at large in providing as accurate a picture as possible of
\nthe conflict. All they ask is that they be allowed to do their
\njob, without being intimidated, attacked and wounded.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/shooting-the-messengers-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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