Press remains under threat despite new status in Aceh
Press remains under threat despite new status in Aceh
A. Junaidi, Jakarta
The change in status from martial law to a state of civil
emergency in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam has received a warm welcome
from some media observers, but they also issued a warning that
the new administration's power could still restrict press
freedom.
Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) member Bimo Nugroho
greeted the decision to lift martial law in the province, which
has been plagued by a secessionist movement for several decades,
saying that military rule had sacrificed press freedom for
security purposes.
"It's good because it will pave the way for freedom of the
press. It will give the media a lot of opportunities to make
investigative reports," Bimo told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
However, the program director of the Institute for the Study
of the Free Flow of Information (ISAI), Agus Sudibyo, doubted the
new status would ensure press freedom equal to the rest of the
country.
"I doubt the revocation of martial law and the imposition of
this state of civil emergency will bring about press freedom in
Aceh. Both the military and civilian authorities have a tendency
to halt press freedom," Agus said.
Under martial law, the military administration discouraged
coverage of both sides of the conflict by banning the media from
reporting on the activities of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and
pushing for "patriotic" coverage.
Research conducted by ISAI from June to December last year
found that the media had failed to help mitigate the Aceh
conflict, as their coverage on the impact of martial law in the
war-torn province was considered one-sided.
They used a quantitative analysis and monitored 10 national
publications -- Kompas, Republika, Media Indonesia, Pos Kota,
Koran Tempo, Rakyat Merdeka, Indo Pos, Warta Kota, Harian Terbit
and Suara Pembaruan -- and five television networks, Metro TV,
SCTV, ANTV, TV7 and RCTI.
Most journalists also failed to uphold the basic principles of
covering both sides in reporting on a conflict, preferring to get
information from government officials rather than ordinary people
or GAM.
It also found that many reports on the Aceh conflict mixed
facts with the journalists' opinions.
The media was also criticized for ignoring the Aceh issue
after the initial implementation of martial law, with other
stories being prioritized.
Journalists and editors were also reproached for rarely
questioning the implementation of martial law.
"The media has the right to say that it must present what the
readers or viewers want. There is no excuse for the media not to
keep questioning the implementation of martial law in Aceh," Agus
said.
The media, he said, had apparently left the public with the
impression that the war was the only realistic option to resolve
the conflict.
Television editors earlier admitted that their crews had to
remain physically close to the martial law administration in
order to ensure their security.
They also blamed the rough terrain in Aceh and the lack of
telecommunication infrastructure for their failure to broadcast
balanced stories.
Agus also predicted that the media would be paying more
attention to the first-ever direct presidential election than on
the Aceh conflict for the next several months.
The presidential election will take place on July 5, with a
possible run-off on Sept. 20.
Comparison between martial law and a state of civil emergency
that affect media coverage
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Articles MARTIAL LAW
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25(2) : The authorities have the right to control
postal, telecommunication, telephone, telegraph and radio
broadcasting.
26 : The authorities have the right to limit displays,
printing, publications and announcements as well as the
distribution, trade or posting of pictures, writings and
paintings.
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STATE OF CIVIL EMERGENCY
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13 : The authorities have the right to limit displays,
printing, publications and announcements as well as the
distribution, trade or posting of pictures, writings and
paintings.
17(1) : The authorities have the right to screen all news and
conversations on telephone or radio; also can
ban or cut off the transfer of news or conversations
via the telephone or radio.
17(3) : The authorities have the right to limit or ban the use
of the telephone, telegraph and radio.
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