Medan media accused of political bias

Dedy Ardiansyah, The Jakarta Post/Medan

The mayoral election in Medan has come to an end with the pair of Abdillah and Ramli being elected mayor and deputy mayor. The victory was widely predicted as the pair was supported by eight major parties, including the Golkar Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the National Mandate Party (PAN). Their nearest competitors, Maulana Pohan and Sigit Pramono, only had the backing of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

And besides the strong political support, Abdillah and Ramli also had the backing of the Medan media.

While support from political parties is legal and natural in an election, the support the candidates enjoyed from the media has been condemned by various quarters because the media is supposed to be neutral.

"The media should remain neutral and stick to its role in providing social control, but in Medan's direct election the media apparently forgot its role," said Abdul Hakim Siagian, a media observer.

Waspada, the biggest newspaper in North Sumatra with a daily circulation of about 30,000, was one of those in the media that came out in support of Abdillah and Ramli. In its editorial on June 28, the newspaper explained to its readers its support for the candidates. The stance was confirmed by the newspaper's editor.

"We supported the candidate because the pair had wide support in the run-up to Medan's election in June," said Sofyan Harahap, the managing editor of Waspada.

The paper was not alone. The Alliance of Independent Journalists reported that in addition to Waspada, 12 print publications, two radio stations and two television stations were partial in reporting on Medan's mayoral election.

Those in the media have acknowledged that Medan's media was not neutral in reporting on the election. "None of the media in Medan have remained neutral. They have their own style of conveying their support, some are very subtle while others are very blatant," said Hasnul Amar, the chief editor of Portibi DNP daily.

Abdul Hakim expressed concern this partiality on the part of the media may have had a negative effect on the media itself. "This partiality has created a negative image of the media. The public will lose trust in the media," said Abdul Hakim.

Another media observer, R.H. Siregar, said business interests were one of several factors that contributed to the partiality in the Medan media. He said the media was caught in a dilemma over whether to maintain such media principles as neutrality, or to promote their business interests, for example, by taking ads from candidates in return for running positive stories on them.

"These principles and business interests have collided and it is difficult for the media to take a stance on the issue. We hope the media will stay independent and neutral in order to keep democracy afloat in the country," he said.