Mob trial of the press

Mob trial of the press

The reform era has brought many changes, among them freedom of opinion and freedom of the press. But reform has also given rise to disorderliness. Freedom is equated with disorderliness. This can be alarming, as it often involves masses of people who see violence as a virtue.

The latest example involves the (Surabaya) newspaper Jawa Pos and an erroneous report about Nahdlatul Ulama. A mob occupied and destroyed the newspaper's offices, forcing the newspaper to close down. Thus, where before it was an authoritarian government that forced newspapers to close down, now authoritarian mobs prevent them from publishing.

The use of violence, against anyone, must be resisted. Using violence against the press is stupid, because the media as a professional institution is governed by principles that require it to be willing both to listen and to be heard.

An end must be brought to the tendency for people to take the law into their own hands, for whatever reason. Unless we do this, we must be prepared to accept the predicate of being the most barbaric nation in the world.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta