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