Oki coverage spawns debate on trial by press
Oki coverage spawns debate on trial by press
JAKARTA (JP): The barrage of news in the past week about the Los Angeles triple murder and the role played by Harnoko Dewanto, alias Oki, the main suspect, has spawned another debate on whether or not the media goes overboard to the point of trial by the press.
Oki's family has certainly been upset about the way the Indonesia press has dug up dirt from his past, even alleging that he was connected with an international drug syndicate.
Lawyers have called on the press for restraint in the way handle reports on the murder investigation, particularly Oki's alleged involvement.
Oki, who is currently in Jakarta Police custody, has been named by the Los Angeles Police Department as the main suspect in the murders of Gina Sutan Aswar, a young Indonesian woman, his brother Eri Tri Harto Darmawan, and a laundry businessman of Indian origins. Their decomposed bodies were discovered in a storage locker in Los Angeles last August, but not identified until December.
Oki's lawyer, Ruhut Sitompul, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that he thought the press had gone too far in the way they handled reports on the investigation of Oki.
"To be honest, I think there has already been a trial by the press. For example, they've dug into Oki's relationships with his wife and girlfriends, his divorced parents, and about how badly he had been treated by his mother during his childhood," Ruhut said.
Oki's family had been silent until Tuesday, when his uncle, the leading ear, nose and throat specialist, Hendarto Hendarmin, told the Republika daily newspaper that these past two weeks had been particularly stressful for them.
Hendarto, speaking for the family, said the press coverage was forming public opinion, making it appear that Oki was guilty.
Ruhut also said that the endless media coverage could affect the outcome of any trial that Oki might have to face. "A judge is, after all, an average human being who reads the newspapers everyday."
Ruhut said Oki's family feels "extremely depressed and intimidated" by the news reports.
The press should not condemn Oki, he said. "If Oki is guilty, then let the court mete out the punishment. But please don't drag in the family as well," he said.
A number of lawyers and legal experts, including criminologist Mulyana Kusumah, have also deplored the media for virtually convicting Oki through their coverage.
Competition
There appears to be stiff competition among the local media to provide the most comprehensive and latest coverage of the murder and the on going investigation.
The new Gatra news weekly has run the Oki and Gina story as their cover story for two consecutive weeks.
The afternoon daily newspaper Suara Pembaruan yesterday ran a scoop with a large headline saying that Oki had confessed to the murders. The story, based on a police source, was not officially confirmed.
Suara Pembaruan's managing editor Bachtiar Sitanggang yesterday denied that the local media have been indulging in a trial by the press.
"We don't recognize the term," Bachtiar told The Jakarta Post.
"But, if the press has given that impression, then we should have to go back to our journalistic code of ethics to see if we indeed have made mistakes."
The press has abided by the guidelines so far, he said, adding that if anyone feels the press has misused its power, "they can always file a complaint with the honors board of the Indonesian Journalists' Association".
The association's chairman Sofyan Lubis told Antara that so far the news coverage of Oki and his investigation were still within "normal limits".
The press has not violated the presumption of innocence principle, he said. "We haven't seen any violation so far by the press."
He cautioned the newspapers to be careful in handling the case and said that no more personal aspects of the people involved should be exposed.
Early last year, starlet Ria Irawan went through a similar public ordeal when a man was found dead of drug overdose in her house. Almost all media publications condemned her, digging deep into her present personal life as well as her past. Despite the negative publicity, her case was never brought to court.
Last month the journalists' association enacted a newly improved code of ethics for journalists, doing away with the need for the press to conceal the identity of a crime suspect by simply giving initials.
A number of publications, however, have continued with the tradition of using initials in their coverage of Oki.
The revised code also stipulates that reports should be "written fairly and in a balanced manner, focusing more on accuracy rather than speed, without mixing facts with personal opinions".
The code stipulates that reports should be published "with high regard to a person's individual rights, and the publishing of any news, writings or pictures, which discredit a person's reputation should not be published".
When reporting on an incident related to a violation of law, "an Indonesian journalist should respect the presumption of innocence and make sure that the principles of fairness, balanced reporting and honesty are taken into account". (bsr/pwn)