No journalistic scavengers at 'Tempo', expert asserts

No journalistic scavengers at 'Tempo', expert asserts

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An expert witness has testified in the Central Jakarta District
Court in the defamation suit brought by well-connected
businessman Tomy Winata against Tempo magazine's chief editor,
Bambang Harymurti, and journalists Ahmad Taufik and T. Iskandar
Ali, that statements such as the one by Tempo likening Tomy to "a
scavenger" were common practice in press writing and far from
libelous.

Communications law expert from Hasanuddin University in
Makassar, Andi Abdul Muis, said that such a writing style was
employed to encourage readers to finish reading the article.

Andi also said that the article titled 'Ada Tomy di Tenabang?'
(Is Tomy in Tenabang?), which was carried in the weekly's March
3, 2003, edition had adhered to the basic journalistic principle
of "cover both sides".

He told the court that Tempo journalists had satisfied the
principle by crosschecking the information they had received from
an anonymous source with an official from the local authority,
who had also requested anonymity.

Bambang and two other journalists were charged with violating
Article 14(1) of the Criminal Code. They have been accused of
deliberately disseminating rumors and publishing a report that
could provoke public disorder.

If convicted, they could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years
in jail.

During the hearing, Tempo defense lawyer Trimoelja D. Soerjadi
once again called on the judicial panel to subpoena serving
Central Jakarta Mayor Hosea Petra Lumbun to testify before the
court.

"His presence would be of great importance to the trial as
past experience shows us that witnesses often change the
statements they give the police when they appear in open court,"
the lawyer said.

Presiding Judge Soeripto adjourned the trial to March 29.