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)