Media told to use own spectacles

Media told to use own spectacles

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday the local
media used a "foreign way of thinking" in reporting events in
Indonesia.

"Foreign values are increasingly used by local media in
covering Indonesian affairs," the President said at a ceremony at
the State Palace marking the 51st anniversary of the Indonesian
press.

President Soeharto said local journalists should use their own
"spectacles" to see what was happening in Indonesia.

He said he believed a foreign perspective was inappropriate
because it did not take Indonesian values into account.

The foreign perspective was characterized by dramatizing
events, reaching hasty conclusions on events and imbalanced
reporting, he said.

"With their inappropriate foreign spectacles, the media have
reported current events. As a result people are worried and
confused in facing changes," he said.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, Minister of Information
Harmoko, Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher, Association
of Indonesian Journalists chief Sofyan Lubis and senior editors
attended the ceremony.

The President said the Indonesian press played a significant
role in the nation's struggle for independence.

He cited reporters' ability to uphold the national ideology,
Pancasila, in the 1950's, help enforce national sovereignty in
the 1960's and enhance the public's intellect in the years after
Indonesia's national development programs.

Pancasila, which literally means the five tenets, consists of
belief in almighty God, humanity, national unity, consensus
through deliberation and social justice.

The president said the media's involvement in national
development during those times often included reporters combining
military duty with writing.

He said there was a need to uphold the Pancasila spirit,
instill the journalistic code of ethics among journalists,
especially those who never experienced the struggle for
independence.

The President reiterated the need for "free but responsible
press" to counter the flow of global information and the
challenges of a global free market economy.

He acknowledged the responsibility the national press had to
alert the public to opportunities and threats affecting
development in the face of increasing global competition.

The President said the local media had an important role to
play in nation building but had no special position in society.

"The press has no privilege like a state institution," he said

He said one of the press' obligations was to improve public
awareness of foreign values streaming into Indonesia as
technology makes countries borderless in terms of information
flow.

"When foreign values enter the country, then it's the media's
obligation to provide an early warning to the public," he said.
"They should show the public how to repulse unwanted values."

Harmoko also spoke and reminded the media of its role in
filtering incoming information.

The minister said the media should be wiser in selecting
reports and make sure only positive articles were published.

Meanwhile, Sofyan Lubis acknowledged that some local media
were "biased and twisted facts."

This year's press anniversary will be marked mostly by
seminars in Jakarta. (01)

Editorial -- Page 4