KPI seeks ban on hidden camera
P.C. Naommy and Evi Mariani, Jakarta
The newly created Indonesian Broadcast Commission (KPI) is rethinking its draft broadcast regulations for the enforcement of Law No. 32/2002 on television broadcasting content in the midst of a public outcry over a recent reality show involving police officers and a foreigner.
"We will add another point which forbids the use of such hidden cameras that could defame someone's reputation or endanger someone's safety even if permission has been obtained," said Ade Armando, media expert and a member of KPI.
The use of hidden cameras in reality shows involving pranks played on unsuspecting individuals was thrust to the fore when RCTI aired a program produced by a local production house on May 26.
The practical joke involved five Kebon Jeruk police officers who pretended to bring a number of people, including one foreigner, in for questioning in a drug investigation.
The foreigner complained, resulting in the five policemen being brought up on charges of misconduct. They will be tried by the Police Professional Ethics Board on Tuesday.
Spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo said that the five officers' behavior had tarnished the image of the police force. According to Ade, RCTI had asked for permission from the "victims" to allow the footage to be aired.
"But still I told them that such a practice was supposedly prohibited, even if there was permission granted from the 'victims'. They would have to provide a good argument for its use," Ade added.
Another media expert and member of KPI, Victor Menayang, told The Jakarta Post that the production house made a serious mistake by involving government authority figures, in this case the police. He said the use of police documents and other items was prohibited by law.
"The use of these symbols for the sake of the show, its ratings and commercial value can be considered a strong violation," said Victor. He added that from the KPI's point of view, RCTI as a broadcaster, had also made a mistake, even if the reality show was made by an independent production house.
The spokesman for SCTV, Budi Darmawan, said that of 210 hours of prime time (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) programming allocated by the 10 privately run television networks in the country per week, only 10 hours were devoted to reality shows, such as those involving pranks, ghosts and other mystical phenomena.
"Other than that, private tv networks have many other educational shows, such as Animal Planet and the National Geographic programs," said Budi.
According to Budi, production houses producing reality shows usually asked permission from people filmed before selling the shows to broadcasters. "If the 'victim' objected to the broadcast plan, then the production house would find another one," he added.