Medan media accused of political bias

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.