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