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