Ethics of journalism in Aceh

Ethics of journalism in Aceh

Nani Afrida, Correspondent/Banda Aceh

A friend from an electronic media company stationed in Aceh
apparently lost her temper after a meeting with Sofyan Dawood,
spokesperson of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), because everyone,
particularly the military, were asking her similar questions;
"How could you have had a meeting with GAM personnel? You must be
a GAM member, eh?"

As a matter of fact, this journalist, who preferred to remain
anonymous, said that she, along with several other journalists,
secretly went to see Sofyan Dawood.

This secret visit to GAM's spokesperson sparked a problem when
close-up shots of the journalists, taken by television cameramen
from Jakarta, were aired repeatedly by these TV stations,
therefore disclosing to the public the identity of those involved
in the secret meeting.

Worse still for this woman journalist was the fact that she
was Acehnese. Almost everyone in Aceh, from the military to
layman, are familiar with her face. Meanwhile, TV journalists
from Jakarta, who went with her to see Sofyan Dawood, simply
returned home to the safety of Jakarta.

"I can never understand how these journalists from Jakarta
could have the heart to make public our pictures while earlier
they had promised not to disclose any pictures of their fellow
journalists," she said, sadly.

She was not so much enraged because the secret meeting was
publicized. Rather, what infuriated her was the failure of
journalists from outside Aceh to keep their promises and comply
with the prevailing norms that every journalist covering a region
like Aceh should be familiar with.

Local journalists have indeed become a unique community in
Aceh. Most of them work for either the domestic mass media
domiciled outside Aceh or for foreign media. Nonetheless, most of
them are indigenous Acehnese who are well-informed about the
region.

These local journalists are necessarily very prudent in their
work. Writing news about separatism is obviously different from
writing something about criminals. Once your report is considered
to be even slightly in favor of the two conflicting parties, you
must be ready for the consequences.

There are many unwritten rules that local journalists must
obey. These are standard rules that every local journalist knows.
The ethics of coverage in Aceh is very important and adhering to
these ethics has proven effective in protecting the public,
including the journalists themselves.

Regarding a secret meeting with GAM personnel, like the
meeting with Sofyan Dawood, one of the rules, also known to GAM,
is the prohibition on taking pictures of journalists present at
such meetings, as these pictures could endanger their lives.

Another rule is that you must not take pictures of locals
around the meeting location nor ever mention details that might
reveal the location.

It has often happened that following meetings with GAM
personnel, the TNI has caused trouble for local people.

Unfortunately, only a handful of journalists from outside Aceh
are familiar with these unwritten rules. Such unfamiliarity has
often led to problems for local journalists.

Between 2003 and 2004, when Aceh was under a state of military
emergency, journalists lost the trust of the Acehnese. Scores of
domestic (non-Acehnese) and foreign journalists flocked to Aceh
to cover news in the province. As they aggressively reported in
an attempt to get highest ratings, they justified all means and
disregarded both ethical considerations and the consequences of
their reporting.

As a result, several civilians fell victim. An eyewitness, for
example, was found dead the day after his face appeared on
television.

In response to this situation, locals became more critical
when facing journalists. They were no longer open and preferred
to stay tight-lipped.

During this period, media reporting lacked balance because
journalists were allowed to report only one side of the conflict.
And in fact, it often seemed that the media preferred to quote
official sources rather than the voices of ordinary people.

In those days, reports on violence, victims and exchanges of
fire were considered exclusive. Seldom did we find reports
conducive to peace in the region. A senior journalist from
television station RCTI lost his life, a sacrificial lamb for the
journalists who, in those days, failed to cover both sides.

Three months after the military emergency was lifted, all
reporters left Aceh. Acehnese reporters, however, stayed and
continued writing about their region.

These Acehnese journalists had to answer to GAM for their
previous reporting. They had not yet won back the public's trust,
which was particularly painful to reporters.

It is true that most journalists sent to Aceh did not have
enough knowledge about this region. They were generally young and
enthusiastic and, as such, were prompted by a desire to gain
recognition.

Aceh was then like a training ground for junior reporters, and
it was believed that a novice reporter would gain his initiation
as a full reporter after a stint in the province.

Very few of these young reporters read anything about Aceh to
find out, for example, why GAM was seeking independence, or the
actual content of the peace agreement, or why negotiations for
peace in Aceh have several times collapsed.

When television stations sent their reporters to Aceh, most of
them were young journalists usually assigned to crime news. They
were more used to witnessing thieves or pickpockets being
interrogated and, therefore, also considered GAM members as mere
criminals. It did not occur to them that GAM members were
rebelling for ideological reasons.

Meanwhile, Acehnese reporters know the situation of Aceh very
well. Unlike the reporters from outside Aceh, these Acehnese
journalists have been subjected to terror, threats and
intimidation by both sides.

Now that a peace agreement has been signed between the
Republic of Indonesia and GAM, Acehnese reporters will have a
more difficult job to do because they have to report on efforts
to rehabilitate post-tsunami Aceh, and also on the peace process.
They need not only time and energy for this job but also
extraordinary prudence and a critical mind.

Since 2000, Acehnese journalists in Aceh have seen the
collapse of several negotiations for peace. Like other Acehnese,
they hope that when lasting peace finally comes about in Aceh,
this region will be a better place to live in.

Of course, in this regard, Acehnese reporters need the
assistance of journalists from other regions and nations. Still,
it must be emphasized here that rules and ethics, written or
otherwise, must always be complied with.

Ethics are important to protect the parties in conflict, the
reporters, and most importantly, the Acehnese themselves.

The writer has been a reporter and photographer in Aceh since
2000