Editors deny press adds to political conflicts
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)