JP/7/BUDI

JP/7/BUDI

Ideology is more than just a mouthful of rice

Budiman S. Hartoyo
General Chairman
Reformed Association of
Indonesian Journalists
(PWI Reformasi)
Jakarta

Today's press freedom is the most significant outcome of the
reform movement. The press should be grateful to the young,
university students and the public, who have waged their struggle
against the New Order regime.

The public is increasingly aware of its civil rights,
including the right to gain access to information, and the right
to express opinions freely.

Today, any citizen may publish a media publication without
first having to obtain a license from the government. The look of
publications, their news content and their editorial policies are
also very varied. Some feel so "free" in the way they manage the
media that their "products" no longer serve to channel public
aspirations and interests, but only cater to the interests of an
influential few.

Unsurprisingly, lately some officials and legislators have
complained that the press has "gone too far". No less than State
Minister of Communications and Information Syamsul Muarif earlier
suggested revising Press Law No. 40/1999 to accommodate clauses
of the Criminal Code into the act. This is so far the only piece
of legislation that guarantees freedom of the press.

If "going too far" is understood in terms of criticism leveled
at the powers that be, then the allegation is wrongly addressed.
If this refers to the style of "yellow papers" this term should
be explained within parentheses in the print and electronic
media, such style will exist anywhere and at any time. Of course,
yellow paper style cannot be used as the standard in evaluating
the development of the press.

One must differentiate between the content of print
publications such as Kompas, Suara Pembaruan, Sinar Harapan, Jawa
Pos, Republika, Media Indonesia, Koran TEMPO, Serambi Indonesia,
Waspada, Analisa, Suara Merdeka and many others.

The content of the diverse media today more or less reflects
the mission of their owners and publishers, including those only
in the business for profit and those swept away by the euphoria
of new-found freedom.

Indeed, the position and role of the media are at least
determined by the owners and chief editors. However, in a society
trying to reach a democracy, the position of the press depends on
public trust. A media that no longer enjoys public trust will be
abandoned by its audience.

An intelligent public needs a media that prioritizes the
public interest, not the political interests of capital owners or
the personal concerns of chief editors. Therefore, the press must
be free from political interests, especially conflicting ones.

To ensure that press publications assume an independent
attitude, they must achieve independence, in either their
economic or managerial aspects, and prioritize integrity.

A professionally managed press may grow into an economically
strong industry, and even into a conglomeration powerful enough
to shape public opinion. Such power must be understood as a
responsibility to educate and enlighten the public. A chief
editor is not "an intellectual dictator" but an editor who, with
his editorials, sides with truth, justice, common sense and
ordinary, downtrodden people.

Despite such tall expectations the media still often forgets
the public's stake in press freedom -- as if it were only the
concern of the industry, capital owners, chief editors or
journalists.

To cater to this public trust the media can only support the
process of the development of an intelligent civil society
through independence and through its ability to weigh up
situations with common sense. Guidance on integrity, or fidelity
to moral principles and honesty (according to the Webster
dictionary) is found in the Indonesian Journalists' Code of
Conduct. This is the press worker's "ideology", one that is
tested by time, particularly when interests clash with powerful
parties -- leading to various attempts to influence the press,
including bribery.

Ideally, no matter how small a journalists' salary, he should
not sell his integrity for a mouthful of rice. But in this
country, that is far easier said than done.