Expert says 'Tempo' does not libel

Expert says 'Tempo' does not libel

JAKARTA: An expert witness for Koran Tempo newspaper told the
South Jakarta District Court that there was nothing libelous in
the article about businessman Tomy Winata's alleged gambling
business in Southeast Sulawesi.

Lecturer of the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute, Abdullah Alamudi,
said the reporter had done his duty by crosschecking the
information circulating in the community as published in the Feb.
6 edition.

"The reporter had checked the validity of the rumors with the
authorities, in this case with Governor Ali Mazi who refuted the
allegation," said Alamudi, adding that the reporter had also
tried to get confirmation from Tomy, without success.

He added that words such as rumors, hearsay and gossip could
be used by reporters when their sources wanted to remain
anonymous and could be used to break the monotony of a story.

Tomy Winata sought Rp 21 billion in compensation in an asset
preservation order from the daily's chief editor Bambang
Harymurti, journalist Dedy Kurniawan, and publishing company PT
Tempo Inti Media Harian.

Presiding judge Zoeber Djajadi adjourned the hearing to Jan. 6
to hear the summary of the trial. -- JP