Drought and media

Drought and media

Information Minister Harmoko said that President Soeharto demanded that the media, particularly state-owned TVRI and private television stations, present balanced reports on the drought hit regions. It was said that this year's drought is no worse than last year.

The president's comment is positive. Imbalanced reporting concerning the drought could have a psychological impact and trigger a rise in prices of food. As a logical consequence the people in media sectors will have to practice constraint.

But it is no less important to note that businesses are quicker to sense changes in terms of commodity prices, particularly in relation to the impact caused by weather changes.

To help the farmers improve their incomes, their vision should be expanded into finding alternative crops so as to minimize the intensity of the climatic impact on their livelihoods.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta