Editors deny press adds to political conflicts

JAKARTA (JP): Several editors from the mass media denied on Thursday the allegation that their reports added to the political conflicts and tension in the country, saying they only presented the facts.

"Facts belong to events, not to the media. Media only record facts in respective events and report them to the public," the editor of the newly born Metro TV, Andi F. Noya, said during a public discussion on Mass Media and Political Conflicts held here by the Center for the Study of Policies and Politics, and the Community for Social Transformation.

Similar views were shared by the other four speakers -- the editors of DeTak weekly tabloid, Kompas daily, Panji weekly magazine and Republika daily.

Noya said the media should not be blamed for the escalating political tension and conflicts, although he acknowledged that at times the media could not help becoming involved in the interests of the political elite, either purposely or not.

Therefore, he said, the mass media should improve its morals and ethical and professional standards to allow the people to receive accurate and unbiased reports.

All of the speakers said they sometimes had difficulty covering both sides of stories due to limited time and resources.

From the audience, Indonesian Environmental Forum executive director Emmy Hafield complained about biased news reports. She criticized Republika and Panji for their unbalanced reports on the conflict between Muslims and Christians in Ambon.

The two editors, apparently acknowledging the bias in their reports from Maluku, said their publications had Muslim correspondents in the province.

Meanwhile official commemorations of the 55th National Press Day will be held on Friday in Surakarta, Central Java. Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri is due to attend proceedings which will include a dialog with journalists.

The commemoration is being organized by the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI).

The Association in the reform era has come under intense criticism as it was considered a tool to regulate the press to support the New Order regime in the past.

However PWI Secretary General Bambang Sadono, revealed that membership in the organization had actually risen in the last couple of years from 8,000 to 11,000(01/har)