Threats to the press<\/p>\n
I would like to comment on PDI-P leader threatens press,
\nstudents (The Jakarta Post, Feb. 24, 2003). Minister of manpower
\nand transmigration, Jacob Nuwa Wea's rage about Rakyat Merdeka's
\noften hair-raising coverage of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's
\nleadership might be in some way understandable. But threats like
\n"Rakyat Merdeka, I warn you ...", and "... if they insist on
\ninsulting PDI Perjuangan leaders, they will have to face
\nthousands of PDI Perjuangan supporters" allow no excuse. In a
\ndemocratic country the media should be free to publish whatever
\nit thinks necessary.<\/p>\n
But every democratic country has also to deal with an
\nunavoidable by-product of press freedom: The so called yellow
\npress. In order to boost sales, those tabloids tend to satisfy
\nthe lowest and most primitive instincts of the masses. They
\nproduce suggestive headlines, but no substance except for gossip.
\nThey stop at nothing for a sensational, slippery story.<\/p>\n
Journalists working for the yellow press are mostly not an
\nhonor to their demanding profession -- to put it mildly. Only a
\njournalist without a sense of shame and responsibility could
\nproduce a headline like Mega lebih ganas dari Sumanto (Rakyat
\nMerdeka, Dec. 30, 2002), meaning to say that president Megawati
\nwas more ferocious than Sumanto, who is accused of cannibalism.<\/p>\n
I am sure that millions of people share Minister Jacob's
\nindignation about such disgusting journalism, but the threat to
\nmobilize thousands of supporters of Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) against those who permanently abuse
\npress freedom is in every respect the wrong answer.<\/p>\n
The serious question arises: What will be the impact? Who will
\nbear the responsibility if the PDI Perjuangan supporters run
\namok? Since the law protecting press freedom took effect in 1999,
\nmore than 100 violent attacks against journalists and newspaper
\noffices have occurred. I only recall the storming of the Jawa Pos
\n(in May 2000), when about 100 of NU's Banser members occupied and
\ndestroyed the offices and forced the newspaper to close down.<\/p>\n
Oppressed by an authoritarian government or by an
\nauthoritarian mob: What is the difference? In a democratic
\ncountry, slander and libel cases should be solved by the criminal
\ncode, and not by misled masses of supporters who see violence as
\nrightful means to enforce their will.<\/p>\n
German researcher Thomas Hanitzsch said that "The task of the
\nmedia is not to educate ... as this is the task of ...
\nteachers ..." (the Post, Dec. 31, 2002). I disagree. I think that
\nthe media has a very important educational task to fulfill,
\nespecially when it comes to political education. The media
\nshould, for instance, educate their readers, listeners and
\nviewers that press freedom implies also their freedom, and that
\nthe end of press freedom will end their freedom too.<\/p>\n
HILDE MAY, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/threats-to-the-press-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }