Military content with media's riots coverage
Military content with media's riots coverage
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) announced yesterday the
media coverage of the recent riots is still within tolerable
limits but warned the media often overexpose individual
incidents.
ABRI Sociopolitical Affairs Chief Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said
the media coverage has contributed positively to the campaign to
improve people's awareness of the need for interreligious
harmony.
"But in some cases, journalists have often sought other angles
(than those put forward by the government) and unfortunately this
has led to overexposure," he said.
Syarwan made the remarks after a closed meeting with senior
editors. Neither Syarwan nor the editors would reveal what they
discussed.
The meeting gave rise to speculation that the government was
not happy with the way the media described the recent spate of
ethnic and religious conflicts in Java and West Kalimantan.
Such conflicts are highly sensitive in the multiethnic and
multireligious Indonesia. They have happened in Situbondo,
Tasikmalaya and Rengasdengklok on Java and in several places in
West Kalimantan in the last four months.
Syarwan declined to be specific when asked if the government
would warn any individual newspapers or broadcasters over their
coverage of the unrest.
"We did not discuss particular cases," he said.
The meeting was part of a series the government has planned.
Today, ABRI officers will meet with community leaders to discuss
similar issues, he said.
Jacob Oetama, chief editor of the Kompas daily said that he
agreed the domestic media should be careful in reporting issues
related to religion and ethnicity.
News coverage, he said, should aim to help cool the situation
and not add fuel to the fire.
Separately, communications expert M. Budhyatna expressed his
concern over the quality of the Indonesian media, describing it
as "not yet mature."
In the coverage of recent unrest, he pointed out, it was
apparent newspapers and broadcasters were affected by the
interests of the groups they are associated with.
"Group interests are still very much involved in the way the
media are covering the riots, especially the Tasikmalaya and
Situbondo incidents," he said.
"In the aftermath of both riots, there is no such thing as a
press representing Islam because the riots divided the Moslem
community," Budhyatna said.
He said that in general the domestic media is still weak in
terms of human resources, facilities, capital and management
quality.
"Some media outlets will be lucky to survive," Budhyatna, the
dean of the University of Indonesia's School of Social and
Political Sciences.
"This weakness has prevented the media from realizing its
ideals as a moral force. The mission is blurred by business
and group interests."
The domestic media, he said, also still lacks complete freedom
of expression. (35)