No ban on TV news coverage: Govt
No ban on TV news coverage: Govt
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information Alwi Dahlan denied
issuing an order banning television stations from airing news
reports of the recent riots and growing reform movement
yesterday.
But he acknowledged that a television pool had been set up to
reduce the number of field reports covering the riots, saying
that "unproportional reporting" only served to insight further
commotion.
"I think there has been a misunderstanding. We did not ban
news items on political issues or the reform movement," Alwi said
here yesterday morning.
"We only said that new coverage of the unrest should be
reduced and presented in a balanced and proportional manner.
"Why? Because when the unrest began, television news reports
served only to fuel greater frenzy, and that is not the purpose
of reform is it?" he said.
Alwi claimed that all five private television stations had
freely agreed to cooperate with state-owned TVRI over television
coverage.
Ministry spokesman Indrawadi Tamin explained that the pool was
setup on Friday "to help create an atmosphere of calm and order
following the unrest."
Indrawadi maintained that the establishment of TV pools was a
normal occurrence during events of major public interest.
He explained that under the pool, each private television
station will provide a television crew to TVRI which will
coordinate the day's coverage.
TVRI will then broadcast daily reports which will be relayed
on all private television stations from 6 to 6:30 a.m. and from 2
to 2:30 p.m.
"The focus of the coverage is the unrest and the impact it has
caused. So it is not by any means intended to restrict news
coverage," Indrawadi remarked.
Despite these arguments, strong criticism of the television
pool continued yesterday with the Indonesian Consumer Protection
Foundation (YLKI) saying that it was a clear suppression of the
truth and violated press freedom.
"Television audiences have the right to receive honest, clear,
objective and independent information," the foundation said in a
statement signed by executive chairperson Tini Hadad.
"The television pool manipulates information because it does
not reveal what is truly happening to consumers and the general
public," the statement read.
Separately, the Communication Forum for Students, Alumni and
Lecturers of the Institute for Economics also condemned the
establishment of the pool.
"Ensuring uniformity of information on a national scale to
advance the interests of small group intent on maintaining the
status-quo is an attempt to weaken the reform process," the
statement said. (mds)